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I graduated college in 1988. Every Friday afternoon, my friends and I would drive out to the Kroger grocery store south of campus and stand in a very long line. You see, that was how we got money in those days. All the local townsfolk would have just gotten paid and would be spending cash on the weekend's groceries. We would stand in the line at the customer service counter writing meager checks to Kroger, taking the cash off their hands. Sometimes there would be 100 or more students waiting in line to cash checks so they'd have money for the weekend.
Looking back, it sounds crazy, but there was an up-side to this Friday ritual. While standing in line, you'd find out all the parties that were happening that night and throughout the weekend. You could show up at Kroger with nothing to do and leave with a full social calendar for the weekend. And you always made sure you looked good before you went to Kroger because it might impact your sex life for the weekend, too. Lots of hookups began in the line at Kroger.
Then, something remarkable changed our culture. Two banks in our town installed these machines that allowed you to withdraw cash 24/7 from your checking account. The idea of being able to get money anytime you needed it was mind blowing to us. The only bad thing was that you had to take out money in multiples of $20, and that was hard for some of us who were used to writing Kroger checks for $10.
Within weeks, the "Friday evenings at Kroger" died off. And, our campus social scene suffered. Suddenly, no one knew where any of the parties were happening. We didn't have cell phones, email or even voice mail back then, so we were screwed.
Here's my point. Never underestimate how technology or the arrival of a new convenience can disrupt the social fabric of your campus. I'm sure Facebook has affected some campuses in the same way the "machine in the wall" affected us. Something equally revolutionary will come along again soon. It always does.
How are students on your campus sharing news? Is anything about that process changing? Something simple like the opening of a new coffee shop or a temporary closing of your student center for renovation could throw things out of whack. What's changing in your campus community that affects how news is shared, priorities are set, and buzz is spread?
