Whether at school, the dinner table, or a park, someone is almost always on their phone or laptop. Too often, electronics are readily available. Parents always talk about the “good old days” of few to no electronics where they would talk to their friends in person and had to do everything themselves, but was that really better than now?
The internet acts as a tool for students to access textbooks and other materials, removing the need for a physical copy. Students use it to communicate over long distances and with strangers on the internet. On the flip side, these devices also carry distractions such as games or YouTube, which become an issue when overused.
While students might use devices for gaming or other things, computers multiply students’ productivity compared to pencil and paper. Rather than combing through a thousand-page textbook, a quick Google search completes the same amount of work faster. Additionally, typing is generally much quicker than writing out an entire essay by hand.
Furthermore, homework is often assigned through apps like Schoology or Google Classroom, pushing students to spend more time online to finish their assignments. Writing on paper forces students to slow down and think about what they’re writing, strengthening their memory of the subject compared to typing.
Using the internet, students can also talk to people instantly and expect a reply within minutes, wherever the other person might be. Students often use this to message their teachers on Schoology after school or on the weekends.
However, students often stop meeting in person outside of school to communicate because of the convenience of texting. In online communication, tone and body language are lost, leading to miscommunication during jokes or sarcasm. And while students are constantly in contact, they don’t necessarily build strong connections.
“For clear communication, it’s important to see the person with whom we are conversing,” stated the St. Louis Magazine. “We need to see facial expressions, body language, hear the tone in their voice because all of this tells us something. Words alone are only one component of communication.”
Communication is more than just words. Often, visual and auditory cues are needed to discern the speaker’s intention, which is often lost when reading text on a screen.
Outside of schoolwork, students also use the internet for social media and gaming, both of which can be detrimental to students’ overall health. Social media has been linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It often portrays unrealistic ideals that people struggle to achieve and uses an algorithm designed to keep students stuck on their devices while feeding on their emotions.
Technology has made some huge advancements in the past years and become an integral part of our lives, but at what cost? Students now spend most of their day in front of a device. Being online too long removes in-person social interactions and affects mental health. Technology isn’t the problem, but rather students have to learn to regulate their own device usage.