Technology's a blessing and curse to students

The amount of technology helping today's college students stay in touch with family and friends back home can be a blessing and a curse, cautions Glen Sparks, professor of communication at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

"Twenty years ago when students left for college, they realized they were leaving home to establish new friends and contacts," he says. "Today, some people never really leave home even though they are hundreds of miles away. The first thing many college students do when they arrive on campus is hook up their computers and cable television and use their cell phones to call their friends at home."

Technology, including computers, e-mail, and cell phones, gives students a way to "keep their relationships warm," relates Sparks, author of Refrigerator Rights.

"Technology can be great for staying in touch, but it may also create a trap that can discourage [college kids] from becoming interested in the people in their new environment. Instead of making the effort to meet new people, some students may find it easier to watch their favorite television show or play games on the Internet. Eventually, these students may find themselves alone and isolated, and that could affect their performance in school as well as their overall emotional health."

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