Over 20 percent of college students spend more than 20 hours a week on the Internet

When freshman nursing major Nancy Paredes purchased a birthday cake, she couldn’t remember how to spell “Happy Birthday” in Spanish to have it written on the cake.

But having the Internet capabilities on her cell phone fixed that — Paredes was able to look up the word.

“The Internet helps me with everything,” Paredes said.

A survey done by Burstmedia found that 800 college students ages 18 to 24 spend most of their time on the Internet. In a typical week, the survey showed that 33.6 percent of college students used the Internet for more than ten hours a week, and 20.3 percent of students used the Internet for more than 20 hours.

Psychology professor Keith Millis said college students use the Internet to escape their problems, and to create a reality.

“Facebook and MySpace offer a community of people,” Millis said. “We know people are social beings, and we need social context; it’s essential.”

Students spend their time on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, but they also log computer use by playing video games, watching television shows and checking sport games and updates.

Freshman finance major Brad Kaskavage said he spends four to five hours a day on the Internet. He added the electronic medium is important to him since he uses it to check his NIU e-mail, communicate with teachers, check his grades and use Facebook.

“I spend a couple of hours a day on Facebook to take a break from school work,” he said.
Paredes said she spends three to four hours a day on the Internet, and through her cell phone, she brings the Internet with her where ever she goes.

“It’s something to do,” Paredes said. “It’s a good time-passer.”

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