Societal pressures not to attend four-year institutions may increase from family members, or at very least, it may become more expected that workers take a 'virtual' route to education, unless they are very wealthy. One of the dangers of technology is that the opportunity to use technology creates different social norms. Today, everyone has a cell phone because it is expected, and to function in society people assume they can contact you 24/7. Society is structured around people with access to a fast-paced car, access to information through television, and a computer. Once technology becomes ubiquitous, it is hard to ignore it, unless you strive to become part of a parallel society like the Amish, governed on different values. If technology and distance education becomes the accepted way education is disseminated, a close faculty and student relationship, sitting at the student union and chatting with friends about important issues will be a thing of the past. Even career opportunities gained at college, like...

What technology gives to us always comes at a cost, even if only the cost of a slower-paced society, which occurred with the death of the horse and buggy. Education must have a human component for all people, not just for the very wealthy or people seeking education in specialized trades, like medicine that require real-world interactions. This is why Neil Postman's call to view technology cautiously and critically is essential. We must use technology to further human potential, we must not let technology control humanity, and what is more human than full access to educational opportunities? While distance education is certainly appropriate in some contexts, it must not be used to subsume the entire educational industry, and its virtues must not be oversold at the expense of real-life education.