For college students the Internet just works
According to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 86% of the college students use the Internet compared to only 59% of the U.S. population according to this Wall Street Journal/AP story (subscription required).
"For this group of college students, the Internet just works. It's like turning on the tap and getting water or turning on the TV," says Steve Jones, the report's lead author and chairman of the communications department at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Anyone walking into a college computer lab, or classrooms that have computers, is likely to find students flipping through any number of Internet activities. They surf for information for assignments, download music files and play online games -- all the while taking time to message friends who may be across campus or across the world.
It's what David Silver, an assistant professor of communication and the director of the Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies at the University of Washington, calls "social multitasking."
The survey found that much of students' Internet surfing is not related to schoolwork. In fact, 42% of students who use the Internet say they use it most often to keep in touch with friends by instant message or e-mail, compared with 38% who use the Internet most often for academics. Nearly three-quarters say most of the e-mail they send is to friends.