It is pretty well known that the vast majority of college students have a close relationship with the Internet. The Internet offers them many things, whether that be the ability to conduct research, upload photos, or communicate with peers. The question is: is the Internet a distraction for college students, or a helpful tool?
One can say a lot about both accusations. Personally, I feel that the Internet can be both a distraction and a helpful tool. I'm not quite sure which is more true than the other. I know that in regards as it being a distraction; I can relate. College students can easily get distracted from their work by visitng social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace, or they could get distracted while surfing the web for information by clicking on links to other unrelated topics. They can also get distracted by the games offered on the Internet, and especially by communicating with others on the Internet, whether it be through chat or Skype.
I feel that it can also be a helpful tool for college students, though. It gives them the opportunity to find the exact piece of information that they are looking for with just a few clicks of a mouse. They do not have to go to a library and search for hours on end for the research they need. All of the information is right at their fingertips. This in turn can help them become more knowledgable by having access to such a vast amount of information, and they can educate themselves by searching on the Internet.
A study on college students Internet use shows that "43 percent of the students that completed the survey spend 10 hours or more a week on the internet. Google, Yahoo and Myspace are the most visited sites. Sixty-two percent of the students that completed the survey download photos; 24 percent of the students participate in online bulletin boards, groups or chats." (imediaconnection.com) This study directly shows how much time college students really do spend on the Internet, and how relevant the Internet is to them.
As a college student myself, I feel that it is the student's choice whether they want the Internet to act as a distraction or a helpful tool. It is by their doing how they want to treat the Internet, and how they want the Internet to effect them.
Source: "Study: College Students' Internet Use - IMedia Connection." IMedia Connection: Interactive Marketing News, Features, Podcasts and Video. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/10466.asp>.
I agree that it is always the student's choice whether the internet is helpful or detrimental. I do think, though, that the internet makes it very easy to make itself detrimental. That's not to say that it shouldn't be used to be productive; I know that there are a number of assignments that I would never be able to complete without being able to look up a partial solution. However, sites like Wikipedia and TVTropes, while useful for research, are extremely easy to lose hours in, as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. It is the student's choice whether the Internet acts as a tool or a distraction. I know that I spend hours on the Internet, but that is my own doing. I get very distracted with Facebook. But when I have a paper or exam the next day, I am able to control the amount of time I spend on the Internet; therefore it is my own fault if it becomes a distraction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It is our choice as to how we use the Internet. It is nice to be distracted from work for a while and look at funny pictures or use FaceBook, but there is a line that needs to be drawn. We must use the Internet as the helpful tool it was meant to be also. When we abuse the Internet, like using it for social networking during class, then it is a huge distraction that could affect our grades. It is all up to us.
ReplyDeleteThe intenret definitely is a double edged sword as far as its effectiveness for college students. I think our reliance on computers is only going to get stronger as technology improves and we are able to do more and more with computers. Even the iPad allows us to take notes in class and so we don't even have a need for pen, pencils and notepads anymore.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the internet is a double edged sword. If we use our time to accomplish work and research them it is definitely for our benefit. However, if we are spending countless hours on social networking and dating sites it is merely a distraction. Without a doubt the way technology is expanding we are only going to become more reliant on the computer. Now our phones and other devices allow us to hookup to the internet just about whenever we want.
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