About a quarter have weighed getting professional counseling for their problems, though only about half that number have done so.
Piskorski said internet postings seeking help have undoubtedly allowed many troubled students to get assistance.
Casey Wakely, 22, a senior at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., learned about high-tech hazards first hand. In December, she says, someone anonymously posted derogatory things about her on a widely read blog, causing emotional problems for which she continues to get therapy. She now limits pictures and information about herself that are publicly available online.
“I just try to get the good out of it now,” she said of the internet.
The results of the AP-mtvU poll on student technology use come two weeks after Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge after authorities said two classmates surreptitiously recorded him having sex with a man in his dorm room and broadcast it over the web.
The Rutgers suicide prompted privacy advocates to push for campus lessons regarding internet privacy and appropriate online behavior, especially among incoming freshmen.
“There should never be a school from this day forward that says, ‘We didn’t know this could happen, we didn’t know this was an issue on our campus,’” said Jonathan Kassa, executive director of Security on Campus, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that lobbies for better security in higher education. “That excuse is over.”
Despite the mix of promise and peril, technology draws mostly favorable reviews as a social tool. Eighty-five percent of college students say social networking sites make them feel more connected to people, not less.
And 54 percent say increased use of technology makes it easier to feel close to people, though a substantial 28 percent say it makes that tougher.
“You can have a much better social relationship if you can see the person face-to-face,” said Kaitlin Solomon, 21, a senior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. She said that online, “You don’t really make that connection.”
Acknowledging the limits of student technology use, more than 8 in 10 say it’s better to resolve conflicts with people in person. By large margins, students say they prefer face-to-face conversations over networking sites or texting for seeking help with personal issues, supporting others with problems or telling friends they’re upset with them.
“It’s better to talk,” said John Gettas, 21, a senior at James Madison. “You can actually hear the inflection in their voice.”
Even so, many hide behind technology. About 7 in 10 have engaged in arguments using only text messages, about half have used technology to avoid in-person confrontations, and about 6 in 10 frequently track someone by repeatedly checking their social networking site.
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