Technology terrors
Junior Carlee Hudock said she doesn’t know how people function without cell phones today.
"I use [my phone] for everything," Hudock said. "I think it’s bad that I have to use technology to do everyday little things, but I also think it’s a good thing that we’ve come so far with technology."
Students are bombarded by technology: Cell phones, iPods, the Internet and laptops consume a vast majority of many students’ time.
According to a 2008 survey by ExactTarget, 67 percent people between the ages of 18 and 24 send or receive text messages, while three-quarters of the same age group are on at least one social networking site like Facebook or MySpace.
John Shafer, director of the counseling center, said he’s witnessed media addiction destroy students’ academics.
"I’ve seen students who have spent way too many hours on Facebook, way too many hours on MySpace, way too many hours on the Web and Internet and not enough time studying and not enough time in their personal life and relationships," he said.
Shafer said that social skills are at risk when students spend too much time online. He said there are some things that cannot be handled electronically.
"I’ve talked with students who have spent hours each day online," Shafer said. "Socially, that can be debilitating because in the real world, we’re all going to have to have social skills. We’re going to have to be able to speak in public. We’re all going to have to communicate with co-workers."
When used in moderation, social networking can be very beneficial, Shafer said.
"I think Facebook can be a very healthy exchange of information," Shafer said. "I’ve seen, on my own Facebook, people who have lost family members and loved ones who have received a lot of positive affirmation through Facebook. People will send their condolences. Without [the] electronic connection, wouldn’t have even known that they lost [someone]."
Cell phones aren’t excluded from the conversation, either.
While it was first found by Peter Inskip of the National Cancer Institute that there was no evidence to suggest that cell phone use causes brain tumors, long-term, heavy use of cell phones could not be evaluated, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Since then, several studies on the topic have contradicted each other, and no answer is definite.
"I text all the time," sophomore Audi Chastain said. "It’s easier than calling somebody, and it’s faster. I could probably live without it if I had to, but I really don’t want to."
The positives and negatives aside, the goal is balance. Too much time spent on any media venue tends to cancel out any benefits it could have.
"When it comes to electronic devices in our life, I think the word is moderation. I think there is a balance that we all have to maintain in life," Shafer said. "I think you have to make sure that you stay balanced."
