Hey, call-screener Tamara here!  Dave stepped out of the room, giving me just enough time to sneak on here and post my thoughts! Being a 20-something college student, I find myself quite interested in a study done by the University of Maryland showing that many people go through signs of withdraw when deprived of internet access. I share feelings of being lost without my cell phone or laptop.

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The study surveyed hundreds of students who agreed to not use any technological devices, including computers, smartphones, gps devices, television, radios, etc. for 24 hours. Those in the study where given a landline phone and books to pass the time. Participants say they experienced physiological and physical symptoms similar to addicts trying to quit drugs.  Anxiety, isolation and feeling fidgety were just some of the thoughts that the students reported.

According to a similar study, researchers in Britain found that 53% of those involved felt upset when the could not access the internet…another 40% reported feeling lonely.

It’s easy for me to see why!  Simple tasks like grocery shopping, budgeting finances, seeing a movie, and eating out become much more difficult without the use of my smartphone. Having the internet at my fingertips cuts down time and disappointment in trying to find a good restraurant while traveling out of town. I can search the reviews and get turn by turn directions within minutes and then tell all of my friends about the restaurant on Facebook or Twitter.

One of the students in the study said that being deprived of the internet was "like having my hand chopped off". I don't know if I would go as far as saying that, but I completely understand his point of view. Growing up in a generation where the internet has always been accessible has encouraged the fast-past society we now live in. Whether it be the original dial-up connection I remember from middle school or the wireless internet we use today, Internet has become a part of our everyday (and for some, every minute!) lives.

Uh-oh! Dave's coming...gotta go! Besides, I think I hear my phone ringing! But I'll be posting again soon...hopefully under my own account :)

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