College officials also are worried that students spending endless hours touring the Internet are falling behind in their studies and turning into social cripples. If the vaunted Information Revolution is coming, for better or worse, a glimpse of that future can be found at America's universities, where people who were using computers in elementary school now have free Internet access and time on their hands. It's no wonder that putting a home page on the Web has an irresistible appeal for young adults still establishing their identities. For all the hype about Netsurfing, it's still a maddeningly slow process. It's hard to say where a flashy home page can lead its creator.
Some pages are technological tours de force, with pictures, sound and animation.
More often, these self-descriptions are just stunningly narcissistic. There are pages listing the contents of the authors' bookshelves and compact disc collections, their shoe sizes, their favorite flavors of ice cream. Being on the cutting edge of the Internet craze means campuses are getting a strong taste of its negative aspects, as well. For a while, said University of Maryland senior Mike Scheinberg , the hours spent Netsurfing began to affect his grades. It's a world where things can be perfect for you.