[Air-l] The Internet Is Changing The Way Canadians Socialize

[Holly Kruse]

Ulla wrote:

> Our students
> are a different generation, one who grew up with technologies (and social
> acceptance of those), rather than having to appropriate and explore them, as
> we did.

I wonder how much of this is generational, and how much of
it is a function of college life in the U.S. and perhaps
beyond: a life in which a lot of them are living in dorms
(or fraternities or sororities, or apartments or houses
with friends), there may be a fair number of activities
and social events on campus and of, there's a push to
have internships and be involved in community groups to
build resumes, and many have part-time or even full-time
jobs.  Some or all of these factors may make involvement
in online groups, lists, and so on seem irrelevant,
unnecessary, and/or too time-consuming, so the students
haven't explored online groups too much.

When I taught an undergraduate seminar on wired technology
and society last spring, my students confessed to be heavy
users of email and seemed quite facile at exploring places
and ways to download music from the net.  They also used
ecommerce serves frequently.  I think maybe students are
using the applications that seem most important or relevant
to them while they're in college.  For a few, online
communities are part of it and for many they're not.  Once
students leave college, are perhaps in more anomic settings
(not that college can't be very anomic, of course!) in which
they don't have access to campus life and have a different set
of demands imposed upon them and are developing new interest
or are cultivating pre-existing ones, then involvement in
discussion groups may become more salient.


Holly

-- 
Holly Kruse
Faculty of Communication
University of Tulsa
600 S. College Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
918-631-3845
holly-kruse at utulsa.edu