Controversies surrounding technology have raised many questions among the general public. Does it do more harm than good? Is the risk factor higher than the benefits? Is it worth the changes in society it is going to make in the future? It seems that every person possesses some kind of technological device, whether it be a cell phone, computer, or tablet. These devices have become engrained in an average person's everyday life. Technological advances have touched the whole world, but especially students on college campuses. These same students comprise the current generation, who will be responsible for the future of America as a country.

Although, technology has brought many aids to the college student life. Social media and technology have brought much assistance to college students within their social life and their academics. Social media has become more of a convenience object with both of these aspects. In their social life, it has allowed them to connect easily with people in a new environment. Coming into college is intimidating enough, and since students are comfortable online it makes meeting people a little easier. Technology has also created a way for people to see their friends or family's faces, even when they are more than five hundred miles away. It has also produced websites for people to find a date. Thirty years ago everyone had to connect in person; they wouldn't have even imagined apps like skype and now there are dating websites. For students' academics, there are endless amounts of research they can access from computers for classes. There is a plethora of information and resources available to students on campus that is easily accessible through a computer. The abundance of social media usage has allowed college students the opportunity to gain knowledge and companionship from thousands of websites online. Yet, with these benefits, do the negative effects that technology has on college students still outweigh the positives?

Despite all of these benefits that technology brings, it is impossible to avoid consequences with such a wide spread advancement. With endless information available at anytime, the internet allows for a decrease in inquisitiveness of college students. Likewise, communication between people of this generation is now done through a computer or mobile device. This has changed communication all around the world and has made it less common for an average student to have face-to-face interaction. College students rely on technology on everything from finding a friend's apartment to getting a date. Without access to technology many people would lose the ability to live their daily lives. Advancements in technology have certainly benefitted many people around the world, but that was during a time when people had already developed the social skills needed to be successful. Adults today know how to handle technology and they also know how to survive without it. Therefore, despite all of the benefits technology presents, the consequences of technological expansion are showing signs of long term issues. Technological advancement has led to a decrease in curiosity for college students as well as creating a social deficit, and takes away self-sufficiency.

The current technological era began with the invention of the internet thirty-three years ago. Soon after, inventions like the laptop and cell phone became more commonplace in American society. When current college students were born, it was during the technological era's prime. So they have grown up with the affordable costs, easy accessibility, and have been able to learn and develop with the technology itself over time. Susan Belangee, a faculty member at the University of Michigan, conducted a study comparing adult social media usage to college students' and found that "usage gradually declines with age" (Belangee et al 9). The current college student generation is reliant on technology for communication, academics, and entertainment because this is what they grew up with and adapted to throughout their whole life. They are more dependent on their mobile devices and laptops than their parents are because of this familiarity. Affordable costs for technological items are also relatively new phenomena, so in the past people didn't feel the need to go out and spend money on these items because they have not developed a reliance on technology. People didn't have to have technology to entertain themselves, communicate, or work. They only knew how to interact face-to-face with friends or in the work place because that is how they grew up and is what they were taught. This current generation was exposed to technology at a time when the world was just getting into the whole idea of life online. Technology started getting competitors and became less expensive to make, so its accessibility of it became much easier and more common.

Likewise, the easy accessibility continues to get easier for current college students. Across all campuses there are endless opportunities for technological accessibility for everyone. There is free Wi-Fi that is available on almost every square inch of college campuses across America. The school's library has computer labs that are open to anyone at anytime. On USC's campus specifically, much of the library's resources are available online. This has greatly benefitted students who may not own computers or printers. However, students can easily get distracted and procrastinate on important work when they have all of the technological devices surrounding them. This problem also carries over to the classroom. Which then leads to the huge debate of whether students should be able to use their mobile devices and laptops in the classroom or not. There was a study done on how social media affects college students' academic motivation and the results are very interesting. The study found that social media has created a new concept, called FoMo (fear of missing out), and it makes students keep checking their phones to see what their friends are doing which then distracts them from class (Alt 2). This distracts you in class because you are then engrossed in life outside class and not what your teacher is saying. Teachers recognize when students are not paying attention, and your inattention can prove to be a distraction to both the teacher and other students. In an interview with Cedrick May, a professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, claimed that "students are always on their mobile devices, but they do not know that they have a college email account" (Rubin). May adds that this is why today's students are so unprepared, they are caught up in the wrong features that technology comes with (Rubin). With that, technology keeps growing on campuses and as time goes by it will become harder to get rid of it in classrooms completely.

With that, technology is having many negative effects on the world, but one stands out the most because it is not only affecting college students. In a way, technological devices are altering the human mind by tinkering with their concentration levels and mental habits. In an intriguing article by Nicholas Carr, he explains his whole experience on coming to the realization that his mind has been altered to the point where it has become blatantly noticeable. Carr states that while he is reading his "concentration starts to drift after two or three pages, and then I get fidgety and begin to look for something else to do" (Carr 489). Soon after, the author found that he was not the only one experiencing these changes. He mentioned his troubles to his friends and they immediately related to him and claimed that they are having many difficulties with reading and concentration as well (Carr 490). Technology has decreased the average adult's reticulation rate, and college students use technology ten times more than that demographic. The impact on them has had more of a significance than anyone could have imagined.

Similarly, technological devices are also responsible for tampering with people's attention spans. These devices are already changing the way people think and now it is beginning to affect their concentration duration, as if it is not short enough already. In Ian Leslie's article, he emphasizes the fact that current college students are losing their effort and motivation. One of his biggest values is the "information gap", which is "when you know just enough to know that you do not know everything, you experience the itch to know more" (Leslie 499). As shown above, technology has created a complacent attitude for college students. Upcoming generations are in danger of becoming less innovative which can impact their future, and the future of America.

With this in mind, updates and developments in technology are happening constantly throughout the years. People do not realize the damage it has done to them until it is too late. Matt Richtel wrote an article on his own experience about how his overuse of technology has impacted his life. He admits that he can "no longer be fully in the moment" (Richtel 481). It has created bad habits, greatly impacted his children, and taken a toll on the time spent with his family. Richtel's bad habits have been passed onto his children and he does not quite know how to deal with it. This was partially because he did not realize that it was happening, and the other half of it is because he would be playing the video games with them. Lily is his daughter, in second grade, and she has her own iPod touch, portable DVD player, and her own laptop. He also has a son, Connor, who has all of that plus an iPhone. Richtel claims that "Connor's troubles started becoming more and more apparent, to the point where he could not focus on his homework" (Richtel 487). It can be quite discouraging to see your bad habits become imposed on your own children. Yet, it is more disheartening to stand by and watch your child get consumed into technology on their own.

Moreover, technology also has the power to change people's personalities. Sherry Turkle is someone who studies how technology is changing people's personas, and has observed technology turn from a beneficial asset to an unconstructive necessity. She enjoyed what technological advancements brought to her and the world, but wishes that it could take humanity back to real life. Turkle emphasizes how people need to reinforce being present "Present, meaning totally and completely there and aware of the conversation or situation" (Turkle). If people aren't present, they aren't able to achieve what they are capable of. All in all, technology needs to be able to give humanity its benefits but not take away from their own self-efficiency.

At the same time, technology not only affects people's minds and academic life, but their social life as well.  This is where social media takes is hardest hit on this generation of kids and college students. Lauren Reed has a scholarly article on a study she conducted that explores how communicating through social media influences dating behaviors. She explains how "students have learned to communicate their opinions and feelings by using social media" (Reed et al 1). The results of her study verified that social media and mobile devices have had an extremely negative impact on college student's dating relationship. Her research showed that "women will experience more jealousy and distress from relationship issues on social media" (Reed et al 2). The affects of social media are not only making females crazy, males are a victim of it just as much as females are. 

Furthermore, everyone has become a victim of talking to someone, whom have never met in person before, online. In an article by Caitlyn Dewey, she explains her personal experience about her online dating relationship. She claims that her web-enabled relationship "was wonderful and everything she wanted, until they met in real life" (Dewey 518). Students must take precaution with their web-enabled relationships because people aren't always who they seem to be over the camera. In reality, people need to put don their mobile devices, and get back to face-to-face communication because it is safer and more guaranteed to sustain healthy relationships.

On the other hand, technology wouldn't have been so widely accepted if it were a burden to the world. There are many benefits that come with everyone's computers, laptops, and cellular devices. Even some of the issues that are found with technology, like social media, were created to make a convenience for people. This convenient social supplement benefits the college student demographic specifically. Social media allows students on campus to connect with each other in an easier and less intimidating way. Imagine, someone is going to a college out of the state they grew up in, away from their family and friends. That will cause anyone a great amount of stress. The stress translates to anxiety that could change someone's mind on a specific college and then they could choose to go to an instate college because it is what they are comfortable with. People do this constantly and they miss out on major life opportunities because they feel forlorn. Social media has created a comfort zone for these people and has allowed them to both stay in touch with family and friends that are states away, and makes it easier to make friends in the school they are going to before they even get there. There are numerous ways to connect with other students on campus. There is a Facebook page made for your class of students which is where people go to find roommates, places to live, and important announcements. If social networks were not relevant, colleges would have to spend more money to construct a pleasant experience for their students. As you can see, without these social networks, getting students to interact with each other becomes an expense of money and effort for colleges.

In like manner, social media was not created to destroy relationships or distract you from class, but to help people connect with each other. Abhishek Karadkar wrote an article on why student's love spending time socializing on their social media, and how it can be a good thing. Karadkar states that students are attached to social media because it proves them with "the freedom to do whatever they want, to upload what they want and talk to whom they want" (Karadkar) Another reason they are so captivated in their mobile devices is because they "can create other online identities that the real world does not allow" (Karadkar). Students can do things on their phones or online that they could not do otherwise in person. As you can see, social media has essentially created a type of comfort zone for the current generation of college students.

Equally important, technology not only benefits social life, but also aids in academics and research. There is a type of significance that technology and social media brings to this aspect of a students' college life. Ling Fang conducted a web survey about self-efficacy correlation with social media, and the participants were undergraduate students. The results of their study proved that "social network sites provide social support in a positive way, especially among individuals with low psychological assets" (Fang et al 259). To sum the study up, it is saying that social network sites give students a type of satisfaction that makes them feel confident in everything they do. This can range from their social life, to their academic life. So, social media not only has a mental impact on current college students, but psychological impact as well. Whether that impact is positive or negative is a different story.

In the end, colleges must keep and allow students to use their technological devices on campus. Yet, the negative impacts and habits that the devices have had on college students still need to be attended to. Colleges, and everyone in general, need to make students aware that their bad habits are not acceptable in the real world. An online article written by Brian Harke, a Doctor and Dean of the University of Southern California, addresses the fact that current college students are not educated on the social skills needed to be successful and create opportunities for themselves in the future. Harke explains that students need to be present to moment out of courtesy to the people you are with and technology takes that away from them. The whole world has allowed technology and social media to "push aside the present moment, along with many of the manners we were taught at an early age" (Harke) The author goes on to explain his experience at a dinner party with a professor at the college he worked at and a current student. The student was there for a potential internship opportunity, and Harke watched as the student slowly ruined his chances of getting the internship. The student did everything from accepting calls to tweeting during the meal. Students should not have to be told this behavior is unacceptable, but nowadays it is normal for them. Almost every college student is guilty of that disrespectful act and it needs to be addressed. One instance like so can greatly affect someone's future. Luckily, it is an easy fix. Students just need to be open-minded and non-resistant to advice given. The first step is to begin re-teaching themselves to be self-efficient. The second step is for students to try and become aware of their bad habits. The last step is to rise above the addictions and break the bad habits. With these simple steps, the upcoming generation has a better chance of producing an improved future for both themselves and America.

