Technology is by far the largest impact on society. It is also the main difference between the “haves” and “have nots”. Everyone today relies heavily on technology, whether it’s a cell phone or a computer. Classes are available online and most communication between teachers and students is via e-mail. On the other hand, if I gave my grandmother a laptop, she probably would have no idea where to begin or even what to do.
The biggest gap of the twenty-first century is the high tech aspect of colleges. Almost every job requires some type of computer skills, and students’ employment opportunities increase. The reason it would be easier for a student to get a desk job as a receptionist versus someone from the “have nots” is because every college student has computer skills. We have access to information at our fingertips. However, technology is not always a good thing. Who goes to the library anymore when they can surf the internet for resources? Why go to the bank when you can pay your bills online? More people are doing more shopping online than actually going to a store. The problem with technology is that it is making people lazy. Students’ employment opportunities may increase, but so is the laziness of being catered to.
Clearly, today’s society is a whole lot different then previous generations. Issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and choice of academic major factors are still around, but aren’t nearly as apparent as they were before. The factors have nothing to do with who and who does not have greater access to computer technology on campus. Equality issues on school campuses are hard to come by these days. If you walked into a computer lab, there would be students of many different races, both male and female, and ones with a Prada bag and others with ripped up clothes. It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone has an equal opportunity to computer technology on campus.