In the last decade or so, some studies suggest that back-to-school shopping lists may be getting shorter. Numerator, for example, found that the average number of notebooks purchased per household dropped from seven in 2019 to five in 2023—a shift they link directly to the rise of classroom technology. Their report shows that most students use computers or tablets for classwork and homework. The exponential growth of tech may be lightening our backpacks—but has it really made things less complicated?
Nowadays, you don’t have to worry as much about stocking enough pens and pencils because all of your papers will be typed. Calculators, planners, and even most textbooks have convenient digital alternatives. Yes, it’s nice having everything all in one place, but no notebook has ever locked someone out due to a software glitch or cost thousands of dollars to replace after someone spilled coffee on it.
In some ways, it seems like technology is making back-to-school less expensive. According to a 2023 report by the Association of American Publishers, college students’ spending on course materials has decreased by 57% over the past decade, dropping to an average of $285 per year in 2022–23. But while some costs have gone down, a growing number of tech-related fees can offset some of those savings. The tools that replace physical supplies often come with recurring subscription costs. Any broke college student knows that tech repairs can be a nightmare—and all those broken chargers add up fast.
From a time management perspective, it’s harder to say if technology has made back-to-school less complicated. For many students, the task of setting up various programs at the beginning of the semester can be time-consuming. On top of this, throughout the semester, students and teachers will likely devote hours of their time to troubleshooting tech problems.
One common gripe with using technology primarily for work and school is the reliance on chargers. Breaking one, or forgetting to charge something, is a frequent source of headaches—especially if your device requires a niche charger type and you can’t just borrow your friend’s at work. Chargers come in all shapes and sizes, with most people needing different ones for each of their devices. The accumulated fees for chargers (and their replacements) can add up quickly.
Still, there are many ways technology has made things easier, something we often forget in an era where having the world’s knowledge at our fingertips feels totally normal—and papercuts are basically a thing of the past. Carrying large amounts of info on a handheld device is unbelievably convenient. Back in the day, storing thick stacks of important papers was a whole challenge on its own. And if a paper got lost? No backup, no do-overs.
Ultimately, the reason technology is playing a bigger role in our lives is that it is effective. It streamlines how we learn, work, and organize our lives in ways that would have been unimaginable just a generation ago. But that effectiveness comes with new responsibilities—costs, maintenance, and the occasional system crash. Whether back-to-school has truly gotten easier depends on how much we’re willing to trade simplicity for connectivity.
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