It is all too common a sight anywhere on campus: students hunched over their laptops, completely absorbed, staring straight ahead at an Internet browser. In the thick of finals or on a typical Saturday night, Internet surfing has become a way of life. In fact, it’s our default method for passing the time.

The Internet is now an element of nature like the wind or the sun--it’s just there. Wireless on campus is always with us. Granted, the academic benefits are hugely positive, and technological developments always brings skeptics (just ask Gutenberg), but constant, instant Internet gratification certainly has its social downsides.

An unlimited pass to the information superhighway (does anybody call it that anymore?) brings both isolation and hyper connectivity, a disorienting combination. On the one hand, unlimited access to the Internet feeds into many Stanford students’ favorite activities: being alone and absorbing new information. I know I’ve spent countless hours reading articles, doing research and learning on the web. But browsing the Internet, even in the noise and bustle of the CoHo, can become a solitary pursuit.

On the other hand, Stanford students are now aware of a huge amount of up-to-the-minute information, however obscure and random. Students can now browse the photos of their friend’s friend’s Maui vacation, but have no idea what is going on at the table next to them

Of course, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, it wasn’t this way about five years ago. The Stanford Daily ran an article on May 28, 2003 touting the emergence of wireless Internet, but, the article noted,“Stanford’s current network (only) extends to the Main Quad, Tresidder, Meyer and Green Libraries, the grad schools, as well as several other buildings.” That’s right--in the dark ages of 2003, student residences didn’t even have wireless. Connecting to the Internet was a stationary, and apparently less frequent, pastime.

Also, according to The Daily, widespread residential access was still being hammered out in 2005. A Residential Computing official at the time said, “With most students bringing laptops [to school], wireless coverage has become a factor for ProFros picking which school to attend that may seem silly, since data jacks are everywhere, but people are coming to expect wireless coverage.” How times have changed.

These recent developments make me wonder what college was like before instant Internet gratification, in 2001, 1971 or even 1931? What did people do when they were alone in their rooms? Life back then, as far as I can tell, was a lot like Internet-free life now, except all of the time. Being bored back then, according to a few old timers I asked, meant seeking out friends, going outside, reading and more. At worst, people watched television or listened to radio. Now, being bored often means perusing some blogs, watching funny videos or instant messaging. I’ve gone whole days without accomplishing anything that exists tangibly outside of my laptop screen.

This is not to say that the net result of Internet’s popularity is negative--that would be absurd. The research and study benefits alone make wireless access a positive influence in our lives. Also, a great part of campus and Silicon Valley would be justifiably angry at me if I said wireless is a negative influence on our lives. Rather, this is just a reminder that browsing the Internet, however tempting, is not a substitute for more traditional parts of life, like talking in person or reading a book; that the world on the screen is not, ultimately, real.

Paul Craft is a rising senior studying history, hence his preoccupation with the past. To contact him, email pcraft "at" stanford.edu, and he will set up a meeting to talk.