The Internet is essential for life - at least for Generation Y.
New data indicate that one in three college students and young professionals 30 years old and younger consider the Internet to be as important as air, food, water and shelter.
The data, which were collected in 14 countries, come from the 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report released Sept. 21.
This is the second year the report has been released. Last year, the report studied employee behavior and information technology policy, according to the Cisco website. This year's report focused on the importance and role of the Internet in young people's lives.
About 3,000 people were surveyed this year.
Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president for UF Student Affairs, didn't have email or the Internet when she started college in 1988. Today, college students rely on the Internet as a tool to do everything from research and homework to socializing and shopping, Mastrodicasa said.
"When we had a student organization meeting we would call people on the telephone and say, ‘See you Tuesday night,'" she said. "The Internet has become the tool to be able to do things that people did previously using other mechanisms."
When forced to make a choice between having a car or the Internet, about two out of three people surveyed chose the Internet.
Telecommunication junior Kamaron Scholl, 21, didn't have an Internet connection the first two months after he moved to Gainesville, but he said having one does make life easier.
"You can go online and buy a ticket for something, or you could spend half an hour driving to and from somewhere to physically get a ticket," Scholl said. "I think it's just [a] convenience that we're starting to get used to."
Two of five college students surveyed said the Internet is more important to them than dating, going out with friends or listening to music.
Food science and human nutrition sophomore Ruhiyyih Bannister, 19, agreed that the Internet is important but said it's not more important than human interaction.
"The Internet isn't real life," Bannister said. "You can't substitute dating and friends with the Internet."
In the survey, 91 percent of college students said they have a Facebook account. Of those, 81 percent check their Facebook page at least once a day.
Seven of 10 employees in the report became friends on Facebook with their managers and/or their coworkers.
Bannister said she doesn't see a problem with being friends on Facebook with coworkers if only appropriate content is posted.
"Facebook is just a good way to connect with anybody," Bannister said.
