Instant gratification is nothing new to today’s college students. Have a question about an assignment? Shoot your professor an e-mail before it’s due. Want to see what your friends are up to? Send a text, or better yet, a BlackBerry Message. But with all this exposure to quick communication, it’s hard to appreciate how different things were only a decade ago.

Last week, Beloit College in Wisconsin released its annual Mindset List, which looks at the incoming class’ cultural mentality, and some of what they found probably won’t shock you but will make your parents feel really old ‘ thinking of Fergie as a singer, not a princess and believing that computers always had disk drives. We decided to conduct a little survey of our own with Binghamton University students, and this is what we found.

Stop telephonin’ me

Of those polled, 99 percent had a cell phone, and 40 percent of them owned a smart phone. In addition, 70 percent preferred texting over talking when it came to communicating with others. Frank Torres, a junior majoring in economics and political science, said that he prefers to text because of the convenience.

‘It’s easier to get the point across without having to have a conversation with someone,’ Torres explained. ‘If I want to have a real conversation I’ll call you, but if it’s to plan something or just to chit-chat I much prefer to text.’

Adam Slomko, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, agreed.

‘I prefer texting all the way,’ Slomko said. ‘Phone reception is so crappy and leads to too many ‘what did you say?’s Texting is easier.’

You’ve got mail

Having a cell phone is definitely the norm for BU students but unlike even one generation before, these technologies are multi-purpose. No one bats an eyelash when someone checks the latest movie times via phone and half of participants believed wrist-watches were pointless, simply using their cell phones to tell the time.

But even something as new as e-mail, which was considered revolutionary in the 90s, is now considered by some to be a rather slow means of communication, saying they prefer to text or call. Almost nine out of 10 people had between two and four e-mail addresses, but only 38 percent got their e-mail sent to their phones.

Pamela Antoci, a freshman majoring in psychology, said that people wanting to get in touch with her right away probably shouldn’t send an e-mail.

‘I don’t check my e-mail every day, maybe every few days,’ Antoci said. ‘I definitely think texting is better for communication.’

Read a book

However, while most students feel comfortable with established technological advances, like the cell phone and laptop, they seem to be taking longer to adapt to newer technology. In the past couple of years, e-readers have become a hot commodity and have been selling like hotcakes, but according to our poll, 80 percent of students had no interest in getting an e-reader, whether it be a Kindle, Nook or iPad, and 93 percent preferred printed books over e-books, hands down.

Jamaal Emanuel, a sophomore majoring in economics, said he would pick a textbook over an e-book any day.

‘It’s nice to have something in your hands,’ Emanuel explained. ‘I can also read a book longer than I can stare at a computer screen.’

What does this all mean?

In a 2004 British study by the University of Plymouth, researchers looked at both the effect texting had on social interaction, as well as its psychological impact. Of the 950 respondents who participated, 45 percent preferred texting. The study found that ‘talkers’ value the immediacy of communication, while ‘texters’ created their own social environment and networks.

When examining the psychological impact, the university found that texters were more likely to be lonely and socially anxious. However, they also claimed that texting ‘helped them develop new relationships, added something new to their existing relationships and as having affected their social life more than talkers.’ Researchers believe that this is because the act of texting allows for a separation from the conversation and allows the texter to edit and reflect on what they’re saying before they say it.