Do you know people like this???
“I don’t have a cellphone and never will!”
“I don’t have a smartphone and don’t want the hassle of one”
“I don’t have Facebook and live just fine without it!”
Almost like they are SO proud of the fact that they choose to not keep up with technology. It is OK if you don’t want to embrace technology, but it is not a bragging point that you don’t!! And, it is not (IMO) your choice/perogative to keep your young adults from joining the benefits of technology. YOU will not be the one on campus. YOU will not be the one at a bit of a disadvantage to not have access to tech in your front pocket.
Once upon a time talking on a land line could “become a distraction” too. A kid can get distracted playing League of Legends on their laptop. You can get distracted reading fluff on your kindle rather than your textbook assignment.
Our kids did admit they were grateful that we finally decided to get iPhones for everyone for Christmas 2012. Both found it very helpful, and continue to rely heavily on it for directions while driving, especially in big cities. We have found it to be much more reliable than the GPS systems that we have returned time and again. We are finally going to give up and stop buying them. (For some reason, the GPS will get stuck in maps of cities we have been to and don’t navigate us in the cities where we are. Sometimes they try to navigate us INTO bodies of water as well.)
I think it’s easier than ever to find inexpensive smart phones and plans, especially if there is wifi widely available on campus. The trick is to be sure the young person knows how to use the existing wifi only and not rack up a humungous bill. TMobile won’t ever charge you data overage–will just slow the speed if you exceed the 2.5gb or whatever you have purchased.
@pizzagirl, you’re right. I should drop out of college and move to Ireland. Become a shepherd, write some poetry, go surfing and cook pancakes every morning on Saturday.
email? Sure, but that is so 20th century. Snapchat is not just for sending questionable images - since messages self-delete, so there is no need to clean up your cloud corner… Convenience.
DS has a smart phone. It might depend on the college but he uses it for school related stuff a lot. Also his college sends out police warnings( he is in Atlanta) I can’t imagine him without a smart phone.
When my D’s left for college, I immediately realized that if I wanted to reach them and get a prompt response, I needed to text, snap chat or use Facebook. Anything I would email stood a chance of not being opened for days (if ever.) At first I thought it was just them, but then I came to realize that email is practically obsolete and barely used by many college students for their daily interactions. Here’s a link from a NY Times essay on the subject:
I have made D’s promise that they check email at least once per day, but not sure if that is followed. Older D in working world does, but not sure of D attending NYU.
Email is not going away in a hurry on campuses. (or in business and office environments, either.) Makes me nuts when students don’t check email. Actually, like the article says, they can check for announcements on Canvas through texts, if they enable that. Many just are not motivated to follow up on “stuff” like procedural things, whether for class or anything else substantive but not sparkly, even if available through texts. It’s just not shiny enough to catch their eye.
Unless you are in your office glued to your Outlook, email is for things that do not require immediate attention or reply, e.g., as garland says, Canvas notifications. Snapchats and texts elevate communications to the next level of urgency, but the sender should not expect immediate action from the recipient. When truly immediate attention is needed or when an email trail already contains 5 or so messages, it is much better and easier to pick up the phone and talk. This is business 101, and students need to learn this.
Most schools communicate through email. If a class is canceled, test is postponed, etc. For kids who don’t carry a laptop around to every class it’s nice to have to check.
For me, the big thing was WhatsApp. I got my smartphone in the middle of my frosh year at college, after spending four years out of the social loop (worse things could’ve happened). Being out of the country, though, I reconsidered, especially when the cell phone plan didn’t include international texting but did include unlimited data. I spent half the year without the smart phone but am so glad I switched over so that I could WhatsApp my family and join groups. (I’m not into social media at all- I just like free texting.) It can be a bit of a timewaster but I’m still very happy I did it.
I have been accused of being a Luddite, but I would get him a smart phone, or at least one that is less cognitively impaired than a flip phone. Smart phones have cameras and a GPS, both of which come in mighty handy. Let’s say your son forgets his notes for a class. He can have his roommate or a friend take a picture of them and text him the picture.
OP here. I haven’t looked at this thread in a while but let me again thank all the helpful parents and students who gave thoughtful responses. I ended up buying a relatively inexpensive unlocked Samsung Galaxy on Amazon (don’t worry it is 4G LTE) and am going to sign DS up with a prepaid plan, probably with ATT.
Just a few weeks left before he’s off to freshman year, with his new phone in hand.
Snapchat is not just for sending questionable images - since messages self-delete, so there is no need to clean up your cloud corner… Convenience.