It’s a rare occasion for one to walk through the halls of NYC iSchool and not be able to glance at students using laptops, phones, and other devices through the windows.

Students email their teachers with ease, tackle online assignments, and tap away at keyboards writing essays or creating slideshows.

Here, technology is implemented into the everyday lives of students and their curriculum.

The student body regards this component of the school with ease and acceptance, as the majority of students possess a smartphone or are well-versed in technology.

As a generation growing up in an age of technology, it’s natural for today’s youth to be using devices with proficiency.

They are also likely, however, to be invested in using the internet as a platform to engage with others.

Zoe Sheehan is an iSchool sophomore. She has had a favorable experience interacting with others through social media platforms such as Instagram and Tumblr, which she frequents the most.

Sheehan is also a talented artist and uses social media to share her work. “I look at other people’s art and put up my own drawings,” she says.

When asked about the interactions she has online, Sheehan says she engages with others in a beneficial way: “I talk with other friends and artists who are on the site.”

She describes her feelings towards having these connections online, expressing that she uses social media sites to cement preexisting relationships: “I’ve made friends in real life who, after talking with them over social media sites, I’ve felt even more close to.”

Similarly, when asked about the types of interactions she has, iSchool junior Tsedale Forbes says, “usually positive ones where I’ll make new friends,” and adds, “I have strengthened relationships with peers through social media.”

Devekanand Singh, iSchool Learning Specialist, shares a different sentiment: “I feel that most interactions on social media are kind of like impersonal, so I’m not that interested in them,” he comments.

Singh goes on to add, “Yes, it provides a way to access other people, but I feel that it also distances you from them. The number of followers you have, the people who are following you, and the friends you have on Facebook aren’t necessarily reflective of your real life or people you spend time with or do anything meaningful with. It’s kind of distant and arbitrary.”

He advises that people should be wary of who they interact with, while also placing an emphasis offline interactions, saying, “it’s kind of nicer to make friends with people in person.”

Both Forbes and Sheehan agree that exercising precautions online is important.

Forbes comments that she keeps her accounts private, and doesn’t arrange to meet up with people offline. She also adds that, upon encountering ill-intended messages or profiles, she “usually ignore[s] them, or simply block[s] and report them.”

Sheehan also safeguards her privacy: “I never share any personal information except for my first name, but that’s only on Instagram and Facebook.” She goes on, stating that “the most anyone knows about me online is that I’m a girl.”

Social media can be used to reach out to others. However, there is certainly importance in exercising safety, while the value in seeing a person’s behavior and personality beyond their profiles remains prominent even in today’s day and age.