The recording industry is engaged in what many consider a futile effort to crack down on the proliferation of illegal MP3s. UCLA, the University of Virginia and dozens of other colleges say that at least twice a week they are approached by the Recording Industry Assn. of America, asking administrators to shut down computers of students who set up their PCs to share MP3 files with others. Most universities act on such requests by shutting down the student's access, but rarely take additional disciplinary action, and almost never police campus networks themselves. If students need to learn lessons, they might as well learn them here. Nevertheless, Poley said he is increasingly disillusioned.
Students spend huge chunks of time online, and an increasing amount of money.
Entire industries are being assembled with hopes of cashing in when these students graduate and start earning significant salaries. Many experts believe that AOL's main reason for buying Time Warner was to gain control of Time Warner's large cable television infrastructure, which is gradually being converted into a system capable of delivering high-speed Internet service to the 13 million households it reaches. Today's college students will fuel that demand. In Hollywood, the entertainment industry is rapidly turning its attention to teens and young adults, half of whom report they watch less television because they spend so much time online, according to Forrester research. But that marketing focus will soon change as today's students enter the work force.