As one student walks under the towering oak tree between Emeritus and Plover Halls on the chilly morning of Nov. 30, 2010, he occasionally slows down while his eyes are focused on his palms. He occasionally lifts his gaze to steer around the crowd of oncoming students and adjusts his route by cutting across the grass towards the stairs in front of Emeritus Hall. Wherever he steps he can feel the chill, and wherever he texts there is a Wi-Fi zone.
If you take a look around campus at any given moment, what do you see? You probably see most people looking down at their phones lost in cyberspace or hooked up to their iPod unaware of the world around them. Nothing says 21 century like web-ready cell phones, MP3 players and social networking sites. But when life goes from behind a computer to behind a commuter, are people becoming social at the expense of being unsociable?
Kellie Davies, 18, said, “People are becoming more social online, but not so much in person.” In just a few clicks, a person can catch up with a friend through a social networking site no matter how far away they live. “You talk to more people online because you actually get the chance to,” she says.
With more than 500 million users online, social networking sites like Facebook provide an arena where friends can chat, send messages and play games with each other. They also give each user a profile page users can use to express their political affiliations, religion, hobbies and share pictures. Facebook Mobile is a phone application that lets users update their status and chat with friends on Facebook with their cell phone.
The emergence of cell phones with Internet access has made it possible for people to connect to the net in seconds out of the palms of their texting hands. Phones, such as Apple’s iPhone, let people get directions, browse the net, make calls or texts and video chat with others. Thanks to phones and other devices with this technology, bystanders in the Bart Station were able to capture the controversial footage of a Bart officer shooting and killing Oscar Grant on Jan. 1, 2009. The footage surfaced in many websites including YouTube and was used as evidence in court.
On the other hand, these same technologies can be used to humiliate others. In a recent case, a Rutgers University student committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly recorded and live-streamed his sexual encounter with another male.
“From a psychological perspective, technology certainly increases the opportunity for connection. I don’t think, however, it necessarily deepens a sense of intimacy, trust and belonging that face-to-face opportunities do,” says psychology professor Mary Flett.
More than 36,000 students go to school at SRJC providing plenty of opportunity to develop the friendships that come from the face-to-face interactions that Professor Flett speaks about.
The ubiquitous body language seen on campus speaks otherwise: Out of 56 students who were unknowingly observed riding the Doyle Library and Bertolini Center’s elevator on Nov. 30, 2010; 23 checked their cell phones, 14 listened to their iPods and nine used both. Only nine students acknowledged another with a nod or a smile.
Do students feel more comfortable in the silence of cyberspace and more awkward in crowded elevators?
Rattanak Klaut, 23, thinks so and explains that technology has increased in classroom settings as well. “I always see students in my classes texting on their iPhones ignoring other people,” he says.
Professors like Anne Donegan have implemented strict rules against cell phone usage during her class. “Students get too distracted on what their friends are saying and lose focus on their studies,” says Donegan. Students in her class will automatically get kicked out if seen using their phone.
Easy access to the Internet not only makes procrastination more tempting; it also exposes people to ads that can potentially influence the way they think about themselves. According to research done by Consumer Reports, the average American encounters 247 advertisements every day through television, radio and Internet.
“Being glued to games, phones, and e-mail makes it hard for some people to just be alone and not be entertained,” says Linda Robinson. Robinson leads spiritual retreats through Warrior Sage-Get A Life Company aimed at helping people reach self-realization. Although she has a Facebook page and runs her own website www.awakeningtotruth.com, she says, “each person needs to have a strong sense of self. This means making sure they have alone time in meditation and real friends that they can talk to and who care about them.”
As we approach the last days of 2010, technology has improved, friend requests have been accepted and many smiles have been texted. At SRJC, more generations of students will come equipped with devices that will connect them to the world. The status of our social population has been updated.
