Technology has already made its impact on this generation. Between kids getting cellphones in elementary school and babies knowing how to work Ipads at 2 years old, technology is only getting more advanced. Social media is making its way into a person’s daily routine throughout all ages. Social media is a part of the average college student’s daily life. Between getting caught in classes or teachers making extra credit opportunities for those to turn their phone in a box, social media is a way of life.
College students grew up fairly new into the technology world. From getting their first phone going into middle school and to watching as companies such as Apple invent a new product every year. Their lives aren’t as different from kids being born in the 2010s.
Kimberly Byars, mother of student Ryan Byars, explains the difference from kids today vs the one she raised in Ryan.
“Technology is a must in a kids life. I walk around the grocery store and see kids no older then 5 having their own phone. Now the use of it might be different from what a college student uses it for, but Ryan didn’t have a phone until he was in middle school,” Ms, Byars said.
“Parents aren’t the issue, it’s just the world is getting more advanced. Being a parent of a college student, I have to realize their profile is their resume. College students would rather sit on their phone and update their profile or communicate through social media than communicate in person.”
2020 is still a fairly new year with us only being in February, some routines don’t change for the average college student. Technology is such a necessity to have, you can go into your average cafeteria and find people everywhere on their phones while eating. Such practices as “no phones at the dinner table” doesn’t apply in today’s era.
A recent article states, “A staggering 90 percent of them use social media, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center study. That’s a 78 percent increase from the 12 percent who were using social media back in 2005.”
A 78 percent margin from the year 2005 to 2020 for them or college students. 15 years of new technology, platforms and websites have been provided for our generation to explore and take advantage of moving forward.
With months left in his college school days, Keith Blassingale, a senior business management major, gives his input on the amount of social media he uses and how he uses it.
“I use social media about three hours a day. I wouldn’t say it affects my decisions or my everyday actions, but I have to get on it every day,” Blassingale states. “I get my daily news from the real world and my friends from social media.”
New friends and current friends are made in college, but the amount of time spent socializing with friends dropped even more than before.
A recent article displays a graph that shows the number of hours people spend socializing with friends.
Between the ages of 18-29, social media usage has gone up 1000 percent. Among these ages, most daily routines start with a quick check of social media. Milton Robinson, a freshman marketing major, explains why this habit is a part of his daily routine.
“I wake up and the first thing I do is check twitter and Instagram,” Robinson stated. “I don’t know why, but it comes as a habit. The first thing I reach for is my phone. I might stay on my phone for about 30 minutes before I actually get up and get myself dressed.”
From early childhood to now, technology has taken over the world. A recent article shows a study that proved, the first thing people think about when they wake up is their phone. Relating to college students, out of 30 students polled, almost half have said they are late to one class at least once a week. Could this be because of their phones? Another poll was taken from a different 30 students, and only two people said they don’t have their phone near them or using it during class. Most classes are between 20-25 students. So, three more over the average capacity say they use or have their phone near them while in class.
Psy Post posted an article saying, “New research on college students suggests that the mere presence of a cell phone can impair learning during a lecture.” The graduation rate for Cabrini is 56 percent. Among the 44 percent who doesn’t graduate, could the cause be because of this?
Social media has many platforms then will as of now, will continue to rise. College students now and in the future will continue to full victim of wanting to stay social throughout the world. Social media can be used to stay connected within your campus, but for the most part, it deems as a distraction for most college students. Either in the classroom or being late due to the habit of being on your phone first thing in the morning. Social media will always play a big part in college students lives, its just a matter of how they value their time.
