Wasting time in the digital age

"My girlfriend told me that it was either her or my computer. I think I'm going to miss her," a Yale student who wished to remain anonymous recollected. "I don't think she liked the idea of me spending all of my free time playing Free Cell and surfing the Web."

Strangely, in a school like Yale where students seem to always decry the lack of relationships, someone would actually give up a girlfriend for web-browsing. But what wins out when "girlfriend" is replaced with something more important, like "schoolwork"?

For some Yalies, the answer may not be clear-cut, even when there's not a lot of time to be wasted. When writing papers or trying to finish the next day's problem set, many students often feel an irresistible urge to just surf the web or answer some email for "a few minutes." But a "few minutes" eventually turns into hours, and time that could have been spent on schoolwork is wasted on aimless wandering on the wasteland of the Internet. The computer has basically become another source for procrastination, and its accessibility makes it all the more appealing.

Measuring Procrastination: A Poll

In order to gauge the extent of the problem at Yale, 37 students were asked several questions regarding their computer habits. Can it be true that the technological wonders found in many college dorms show Doom II screens more often than they display the collected works of Shakespeare? Though far from being scientifically or statistically sound, this small survey offers interesting insights into that question. Here are the results:

Questions	Results
What is the average amount of time per day that you spend on the computer?	2.6 hours.
How much of that time is spent on work related activities, including schoolwork and extracurricular activities?	Of the 2.6 hours, 47% is spent on work-related activities, 53% on leisurely activities.
During the time spent at leisure, what activity (for example, email, games, etc.) do you do most?	58% on interpersonal contact (email, "ICQ" and "AOL Instant Messenger"), 17% aimless web-browsing, 17% video games, 8% pornography.
Would you say that your computer is a distraction from your schoolwork?	63% Yes, 37% No
Would you be a better student without your computer?	42% Yes, 58% No
If you had no computer, would you spend the majority of the extra time doing work or procrastinating in some other way?	59% Doing work , 41% Procrastinating

It's noteworthy that more than half of the respondents saw their computer as a distraction, and almost half of them felt that they would be better students without it. If computers are that much of a problem with schoolwork, why the drive for more computers on campus?

Who needs 'em?

In the view of some of the students surveyed, the computer really isn't all that important when it comes to education. "I really hate computers," said Andrew Eggert, MC '00, who jokingly claims to be a neo-Luddite (The Luddites organized a movement against all technology in 19th century England). "I am an advocate of the typewriter...[Without the computer], I would write much better papers." Interestingly, many writers claim that having to retype a paper from scratch on a typewriter provides for better revision.

Another anonymous student who wishes only to be known as "2 steps from the Una-bomber" said, "I have a major personal crusade against email." Instead of emailing his friends, he prefers to "make a phone call instead."

"Email puts a strange pressure on long distance correspondence. Before all of this technology, people would send each other letters which would take several days to arrive. Between letters, there was time for development, for things to happen. Now, with e-mail, there is a pressure to respond immediately. If you don't reply right away, people start to wonder why," he said. He went on to note that a "vicious cycle results, where you need to keep e-mailing back and forth...e-mail is eating away at my academic existence."

While many of the respondents were not as extreme in their views, most of them stressed the fact that their computers were creating major distractions to their work. "The 'E' in email stands for evil," said Jonathan Thessin, MC '00. On average, Thessin spends 4 hours a day at his computer, 3 of which are spent doing e-mail. He admits that this is a rather large amount of time to be used on e-mail. "I was thinking of giving up email for Lent, but then I realized that it would just be too difficult. I decided to give up girls instead."

But is it really that bad?

The survey, however, may also have another interpretation: the preoccupation with computers and their relationship to education may seem misguided. Many students did use a computer for schoolwork almost half the time. However, that statistic may be related to an issue of willpower. Ryan Lokken '00 noted, "It wouldn't be that bad if I had a little more self-control."

They were also quick to note many of the benefits that their computers had brought them. Leslie Neeland, SM '99, emphasized that her computer, though sometimes a distraction, has really helped her to keep in touch with friends. "Having a web site has allowed old friends to find me on the internet and get back in touch with me."

Even more telling, some students mentioned that even without a computer, there are many other ways to procrastinate: staring at walls, watching TV, going to the library to "study," or even perfecting one's foozball game. Thus, for many of the students questioned, not having their computer wouldn't make much of a difference. "I'm sure I would procrastinate in other ways," said Carolyn Nguyen, JE '00.

In the end, it's shortsighted to simply claim that computers alone are responsible for the students who spend more time talking to friends over email and ICQ than writing their papers. Computers have simply joined the never-ending list of convenient, enjoyable, yet eventually malicious procrastination tools.

The e-mail crazed Thessin even appreciates the distraction that his computer provides. "E-mail is a good distraction because you get to interact with other people on it. Everything else, including newspapers and magazines are static. And plus, the [Yale] Daily News is only oh-so interesting."

What do you think? Speak Your Mind!

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