The iSchools in the Media
Faculty of Information Doctoral Student Research Highlighted in Boston Globe
University of Toronto Faculty of Information doctoral student, Rhonda McEwen, was quoted extensively by the Boston Globe in its February 8 feature article, “The End of Alone.”
The article contends that when the world is a tap away, people are no longer truly alone and unplugged for any length of time.
Students listen, text and talk using a multitude of technology including cellphones, iPhones, iPods, and laptops, rather than contemplating life or talking to a person beside them. The result, the writer says, is that students are not in the present.
McEwen helped provided an insight into how that trend is changing the college experience. Through her research, she found that students’ constant connectedness affects their ability to connect to other students.
By tracking communication habits of students in their first year, McEwen found they delayed forming new friend networks and breaking away from their old ones at the start. At the beginning of their studies, McEwen says first year students hold on tightly to their high school friends, but as the year progresses, they focus more of their texting and calls on their new college pals. In the summer, McEwen found, students revert back and high school friends become their top communications focus.