Running Head: INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

Internet: Friend or Foe?

Nicholas Tate
Bloomsburg University

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

2

Abstract
This paper explores whether or not the Internet aids college students in creating an identity, both
individually and societally. Research was based on both my own experience with technology and
web-based articles. The first part of the paper notes how technology has changed in my lifetime.
In order to better clarify how millennials like me use technology, I summarize my time with my
first personal piece of technology in the second part of the paper.
The third part of the paper examines where college student technology use is headed in
the future. I believe college students will have to overcome many hurdles in order to use it
effectively. These include Johnson's (2014) notion of separating online and real identity, NPR's
(2013) interview with Douglas Rushkoff on the concept of "digiphrenia" (the experience of
existing in more than one incarnation of yourself simultaneously), and Rainie and Zickuhr's
(2015) study on smartphone etiquette.

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

3

Internet: Friend or Foe?

My first experience with technology was playing the early computer game Turbo Math
Facts on my parents' Macintosh. The Mac cost my parents over five thousand dollars. I am sure
the computer could do many useful things for its day, but for me, it was only good for a racing
game. The point of Turbo Math Facts was to solve basic math problems to beat the game's
protagonist, "Turbo Tom", in a race. Correct problems would get you money to spend on race
cars. No matter what I did, none of the cars I could afford were ever fast enough to beat Turbo
Tom. He always surged ahead at the very last second. It is probably because I was just bad at
math.
Now that I have been alive for a little over two decades, it's amazing to think that all I
used to do was race Turbo Tom. In my lifetime alone, I have seen personal computers become
mainstream. I have witnessed the development of mobile phones, which quickly evolved into
smartphones. I have used the World Wide Web for nearly my entire life, starting with the basic
Internet Explorer of the late 90s to the high-powered browsers of today, like Google Chrome.
Unlike the generations before me, the ability to use technology is engrained in me, thanks to
growing up at the start of the digital age. Technology has become an integral part of my identity.
But does this newfound "online identity" aid millennials like me, or destroy us? We might
think that technology makes our lives easier, but it might just be a larger "Turbo Tom" who is out
to get us and take us down. Throughout my time online, I have uncovered trends that may yield
the true nature of where college-age students are headed regarding technological usage. My own
personal use has impacted my position on the state of this usage, as well. I will prove that my

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

4
personal experience and observations shaped my "online identity", and dissect the fact that
students like me are being shaped and will be shaped by technology in the future.
How the Internet Has Changed in My Lifetime
I estimate that I began using the Internet around age five, which was the year 1999. By
then, the Internet had existed for barely ten years. Between when I first started using it and the
present day spans 16 years. In that time span, the Internet has moved through three stages,
according to Sheppard (2014): the entrance into the digital age, or "the beginning", the rise of
social networking, and the current smartphone era.
My first days spent on the Internet were during "the beginning" of the Internet. It had yet
to go mainstream. Most pages were basic text-and-graphic HTML pages, whose looks were
influenced by the revolutionary browser Netscape Navigator. The emergence of email and search
engines made it easier than ever to communicate and find information. We purchased our second
family computer, a Gateway, which ran Windows 1998. It was much easier to navigate than the
old Macintosh because it had a pictorial, icon-based interface. It came with Microsoft Outlook
my first email program. My first messages to others on the web were sent by email, and at this
point, email was the only form of an "online identity" that I had. Google was founded in 1998,
and I can remember using Google during its first incarnations.
Another major development during this time was peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing services,
such as Napster. These services were used to send files (many illegal) back and forth. While
Napster was shut down in 2001, before I discovered these P2P services, I caught the tail end of
the file-sharing revolution by using the service Limewire to get free music. That was around
2004, just after iTunes was launched and I discovered that you had to pay to get music.

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

5
My First "Personal" Piece of Technology
I did not have a cell phone until I graduated high school. In fact, I mainly used my
parents' desktop computer to play games and send email. Later, around 2005-2008, I used it to
communicate with friends via email, Facebook and AOL instant messenger, until I purchased my
first "personal" piece of technology. It was a second generation iPod Touch that I bought in late
2008. Since everyone was hopping on the iPhone bandwagon, I figured I could at least get some
of the benefits with an iPod Touch. I noticed that as soon as I bought the iPod, the amount of
time I spent online increased dramatically. What was in front of me was all new and conveniently
located in the palm of my hand. I could get lost in it for hours.
I used the iPod primarily for communicating with friends. The main apps I used were the
mobile versions of Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger. I also used a service that gave me a
fake phone number so I could text my friends who had phones, but I could not call them. I also
loved using it for the silly game apps that were still new at the time and had everyone obsessed.
My main interest when using the iPod Touch was in a process called "jailbreaking". This
term refers to the removal of hardware restrictions set by the iOS operating system. Jailbreaking
allows a user to customize their device with themes, apps, and extensions made by other users
that are not permitted in the app store. I spent long afternoons experimenting with different
themes, as well as getting my iPod Touch to do things it was not meant to do (such as run
Gameboy games, pirate apps, and change fonts).
The complexity of jailbreaking, however, made me lose interest after about two years. Many of
the processes to make the iPod do what I wanted became overwhelming. When I received my

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

6
first phone (a slider keyboard phone), the iPod was demoted to my secondary source of
entertainment, where I would only use apps.
Entering the Smartphone Age
Much has changed in the four years it took me to get a smartphone. For instance, when I
used my iPod Touch, the dominant social network was Facebook. On the YouTube app, certain
videos weren't available yet. I could only use Apple's default browser, Safari. My iPod Touch did
not even have a camera built into it.
I made the switch to Android for my first smartphone, which is a Samsung Galaxy Avant.
This phone, which was released just a year ago, is proof of how much things have changed. It is
able to run multiple powerful browsers, like Firefox and Google Chrome. It has a front and back
camera that both have decent resolutions. The processor and LCD screen are more powerful.
As with my first encounters with the iPod Touch, my time spent online increased even
more when I bought my smartphone. Before then, I was confined to my laptop, where I only
accessed Facebook and Tumblr, and I couldn't really access information on the go. On the
smartphone, I can use data to look at apps and web pages anywhere that has service. This
probably contributes most to the amount of time I spend on the phone, since everything is so
easily accessible with one swipe.
I built up my online identity by creating accounts for Snapchat and Instagram on my
smartphone. Along with Facebook, those are the big four apps that I use most often. In recent
months, I even signed up for the social networks LinkedIn, Tinder, and Yik Yak. Sometimes I
sign up for a social network and end up abandoning it a few weeks later. It is amazing to think
about how many apps I give my information to without even thinking.

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

7
Now, thanks to these apps, my name is searchable across the web. Although there is some
variation as to how I portray myself on each app, most of them say this to people who look at my
profiles: a college student majoring in communications who is interested in music and the
outdoors. My Tumblr blog is solely used as a hobby to express my interests and thoughts, while I
try to keep my other big four apps looking professional. By having a smartphone, I brought my
identity online. Now I have to monitor it and make sure it looks acceptable, so I look like a good
candidate for potential employers.
Where Are College Students Headed in Terms of Technology Usage?
College students have powerful technology in their hands. I believe that technology has
the potential to aid students, yet it is far too easy to become "plugged in" and even dependent on
all the online world has to offer. Dependence, however, is a word that can go both ways.
Students may be tied to their phones or computers, but the way in which they use that technology
will make or break their identity.
There are several hurdles students must overcome in order to create a technological
identity, both as a social tool and as a supplement to their studies. While trends show that
students are certainly headed straight for these hurdles (and sometimes crashing into them),
being aware of technological dangers will hopefully steer them on a better path for usage.
One such hurdle is the notion of separating online identity from real-life identity.
Johnson (2014) cites a study by Dr. David Greenfield of the University of Connecticut School of
Medicine that claims young people view their online and real identities as synonymous. They
care deeply about conjuring favorable responses from their friends and colleagues with each
post. Often, they post things online without first considering the consequences.

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

8
Douglas Rushkoff, author of the book Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now,
coined a term to describe this dissociation of identities: "digiphrenia". He told NPR in an
interview that it is " the experience of trying to exist in more than one incarnation of yourself at
the same time... and all of these sort of multiple instances of you are operating simultaneously
and in parallel. And that's not a really comfortable position for most human beings" ("In a
World", 2013). As college students are continuously sucked into the world of smartphones and
social media, they will have to figure out how to cope with "digiphrenia".
Another obstacle for students is the ways in which technology will continue to affect their
behavior. One such aspect of behavior in the digital era is the concept of "smartphone etiquette".
The way people use their phones is constantly rewriting social rules and standards. Rainie and
Zickuhr (2015) published a Pew study that surveyed over 3000 adults' opinions on when
smartphone use is appropriate. They study found that most people think it is okay to use phones:

while walking in a public place

quickly, in front of family and friends
for taking photos and videos in a public place
for taking calls, even in front of other people

The study also showed that some situations are not as appropriate to use a smartphone, such as:

at a meeting, movie, or anywhere else where you are required to pay attention to

someone
during meals
avoiding others
browsing the phone in front of someone else

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

9
Manners have always been playing catch-up with new technology. It is important to note,
however, that in order to be successful in their careers and interpersonal relationships, college
students will need to adjust their smartphone etiquette.
While students might need to monitor the social aspects of their technology use in the
future, becoming dependent on technology for greater purposes sounds far more promising.
Kahn (2013) notes four areas of student life on campus that will change due to technology: the
classroom, the calendar, the institution, and the textbook.
In the future, according to Kahn, classrooms will be run entirely online. Student data will
be collected in real time. Sharing content and discussions will be easier over a web-based
platform. Students will be able to take classes from any university online. The time it takes to
complete a major will be diminished greatly, since students will be able to complete degrees
online. Each class will have tailored materials, and most textbooks will be online, which
diminishes the cost of the material. Students will be able to use the Internet and the online world
to further enhance their learning and make connections.
Conclusion
The Internet can be a college student's best friend, but only if it is used properly. Students
must pay attention to what they post, how often they spend fooling around on their phones, and
keeping their online and real identities separate. While many people think that the world is
headed into an evil age of people who are slaves to the online world, I believe it can be used for
good. Smartphones make information easily accessible, and the increasing role of technology on
college campuses will enhance student learning. The Internet isn't another "Turbo Tom" who's
out to get us, it just wants to have a friendly race.

INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

10
References
Johnson, C. (2014, May 28). Growing Up Digital: How the Internet Affects Teen Identity.
Retrieved October 12, 2015.
Kahn, G. (2013, October 9). What College Will be Like in 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
NPR Staff. (2013, March 25). In A World That's Always On, We Are Trapped In The 'Present'
Retrieved October 12, 2015.
Rainie, L., & Zickuhr, K. (2015, August 26). Americans' Views on Mobile Etiquette. Retrieved
October 12, 2015.
Sheppard, F. (2014, May 27). A Brief History of the Internet Over the Past 20 Years and the Role
of the World Wide Web. Retrieved October 12, 2015.