Unlike their printed versions in the Herald , our stories could now be read around the world in an instant. But there's a hitch to this technology. The computerized world is vast and exciting, but it can be frustrating as well. Hours of work can go down the digital toilet with a single jolt to a hard drive, reminding us that typewriters, though slow, are dependable. And like drugs and alcohol, e-mail can become an addiction.
Some students suffer e-mail withdrawal while away on break.
I've seen people almost drop out of Brown after getting sucked into the online world. These addicts, whom my friends and I jokingly call Those Who Spend Too Much Time Online, leave little time for anything as mundane as classwork. In the Global Village. We're analyzing the impact of technology on the environment, the workplace, education, and privacy. We're finding that technology both creates a worldwide community and isolates us behind computer screens.