Learning to Live by the Internet Alone
“Nothing but net” recently took on a whole new meaning when three college students agreed--motivated in part by a weekly allowance of $500--to live online for an entire semester. When Levi’s launched its Internet store last winter, the company wanted to find out how much else was available on the Web, and whether an individual could find all the necessities of life--toilet paper, delivery pizza--readily available via a modem-equipped PC.
Five hundred applicants from schools all over the country logged on to the Levi’s site to apply for the well-remunerated experiment, and the final three were selected based on their Web savvy, creativity and determination to survive a full semester by shopping for everything online.
Cal State Chico senior Alanna Blanco, 23, a management information systems major, already knew her way around the Web, as did 19-year-old Scott Raymond, a sophomore at the University of Kansas, who designs Web sites in his free time, and 21-year-old Tomiko Jones, a senior studying communications at the University of Pennsylvania.
But Blanco quickly found that Chico was less than cyber-friendly, so she set up https://www.feedalanna.com to inspire local merchants to establish Web links, making it easier for her to find the necessities of life online in a small town.
“Some students and one of my professors got two restaurants and a grocery store hooked up,” explains Blanco, now well fed.
For Jones, it was a little easier.
“I just found a site called https://www.cybermeals.com, where I can choose from over 30 Philly restaurants that will deliver hot meals to my door,” she says. “Unfortunately, none of them are pizza places.”
Raymond has used some of his allowance to purchase headphones, a mini-disc player, a new hard drive, a bunch of CDs and Clinton-Lewinsky trading cards, but so far he hasn’t found an Internet bride, which he listed on his application as the ultimate Web purchase.
Jones, however, has received more than a few e-mail solicitations.
“Most of them sound like singles ads,” she says. “They tell me their height, weight, eye and hair color and name a few hobbies. Too bad I have a boyfriend already.”
Making all purchases over the Internet takes some ingenuity and more than the usual amount of planning.
“You have to be really organized,” Blanco says. “I have to basically keep track of everything that’s running low so I can order them immediately.”
And not all e-transactions have turned out as planned.
“[https://www.]netgrocer.com sent me two bags of flour instead of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice,” Jones complains, “and I wasn’t too happy about that.”
Jones, who stocks up on toiletries and other personal items from https://www.mybasic.com and https://www.netgrocer.com, admits to occasional outside assistance.
“My roommate helps out with some of those items,” she concedes. “There have been a few times when I was forced to cheat, picking up wrapping paper from the drugstore, buying a can of Coke or grabbing some chicken teriyaki [on the way to] class.”
Each student keeps an online diary detailing purchases and other experiences, joins in live chats every Sunday night and has a Web cam connected to his or her computer, with pictures constantly updated (https://www.levi.com/us/sol).
Is it difficult for a typically low-budget student to use up all the allocated money? “Spending money a challenge?” asks Jones. “No way!”
