Any high school or college student will likely tell you their cell phone never leaves their side and Facebook is a default homepage for their Internet browser. It’s second nature for my generation to sleep with charging cell phones next to our pillows, and to use text messaging as our No. 1 means of communication.
Until recently, I hadn’t really even noticed how reliant my generation is on technology. Walking on Michigan State University’s (MSU) campus, I was surprised to find that nearly every person I passed either had headphones in their ears, or cell phones in their hands, including myself. No different than any other student, I too fit into this “always connected” category.
I carry my phone with me everywhere. Whether heading downstairs to let my dog out or running an errand, my phone is always within reach. I even have my phone with me when I fall asleep. (Yes, it probably reads as pathetic as it feels; however, all laughs aside, it’s something I consider “normal.”) In the car, if I’m not sending a text message, I’m playing songs on my iPod library.
I even reviewed my previous month’s phone bill to check my text-to-call ratio. I was shocked to find only 34 minutes of call time, yet 3,486 text messages sent and received.
It goes without saying that I’ve heard, “Can’t you put your phone down for just one second? or “Do you always have to be connected to the world? Why can’t you just turn it off?” multiple times. But my generation doesn’t know anything else.
Like every new trend, technology has its own controversies, especially within the generation it surrounds. Mine, for example, faces debates over whether our technological dependency allows us to communicate effectively. I used to believe this idea was ridiculous. It wasn’t until this weekend when I was able to fully realize the truth of this accusation.
My best friend and I were expected to meet some people at 7:00 p.m. for the football game, but due to a long gas station line, we were running late. We both agreed to call our friends and explain we were going to be late. However, when she picked up her phone, she changed her mind and said, “I’ll just text her. I hate calling people.”
Technology certainly has had a large impact upon the lives of students socially, yet it has also affected the educational upbringing of today’s generation. Within the last 10 years, technology has become increasingly influential on education.
Simple homework assignments leave students resorting to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, for information. Class syllabi used to be printed on paper and report cards were sent home quarterly. Today, students use online databases such as DeWitt High School’s “Infinite Campus,” or Michigan State University’s “Angel” to check grades and look for rubrics and assignments. Parents are allowed to access behavioral and disciplinary conduct recordson-line. Even elementary schools are shifting gears to using PowerPoint and online games as learning tools.
Although these technological advances have many benefits for connected
communication or as educational tools, my generation has reached an age
of technological dependency. It’s not uncommon to see students as young as fifth and sixth grade carrying around iPods or cell phones.
Technological engineers continue to come up with
additional ways for our generation to be connected, and we continue to
use Pix, Flix, and Video Messaging (to send a picture or video through
a phone), Facebook’s Wall-to-Wall and Web Cams to communicate.
It’s what we know. Lifestyles based on technology are here to stay, and businesses need to adapt to this "always connected" mentality.