What Facebook Users Share: Lower Grades

[Virgil]

So are you flunking school? Could it be you're on Facebook? Could it be because of lit net? Read the following:


What Facebook Users Share: Lower Grades
By Anita Hamilton

Forget the widely unloved redesign. Facebook has committed a greater offense. According to a new study by doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State University and her co-author Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University, college students who use the 200 million–member social network have significantly lower grade-point averages (GPAs) than those who do not.

The study, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association on April 16, surveyed 219 undergraduate and graduate students and found that GPAs of Facebook users typically ranged a full grade point lower than those of nonusers — 3.0 to 3.5 for users versus 3.5 to 4.0 for their non-networking peers. It also found that 79% of Facebook members did not believe there was any link between their GPA and their networking habits. (See the 50 best websites of 2008.)

Karpinski says she isn't surprised by her findings but clarifies that the study does not suggest that Facebook directly causes lower grades, merely that there's some relationship between the two factors. "Maybe [Facebook users] are just prone to distraction. Maybe they are just procrastinators," Karpinski told TIME.com in a phone interview on Monday, April 13.

John Kamin, 23, a student at Hofstra University in New York who uses Facebook, says it's "absurd" to associate the social network with poor grades or lack of aptitude. "It's a networking tool for people," says Kamin, who adds that he spends about an hour a day on Facebook, far less time than he spends playing the addictive game Brick Breaker on his BlackBerry — there's that question of users' distractability and tendency to procrastinate. But, Kamin says, "I don't think someone is more or less intelligent because they sign up for it." (See pictures of the college dorm's evolution.)

Karpinski and Duberstein's study isn't the first to associate Facebook with diminished mental abilities. In February, Oxford University neuroscientist Susan Greenfield cautioned Britain's House of Lords that social networks like Facebook and Bebo were "infantilizing the brain into the state of small children" by shortening the attention span and providing constant instant gratification. And in his new book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind, UCLA neuroscientist Gary Small warns of a decreased ability among devotees of social networks and other modern technology to read real-life facial expressions and understand the emotional context of subtle gestures. Young people are particularly at risk for these problems, he writes, because "young minds tend to be the most sensitive, as well as the most exposed, to digital technology."

Some experts dismiss all studies of Internet use as flawed, since there is no reasonable way to control for the myriad variables that may affect such research. For its part, Facebook declined to address the specific findings of the new study but issued a statement on Monday, April 13, saying that Facebook isn't the only diversion around; TV and video games can be just as distracting as online social networks. The company also pointed to a study released earlier this month by researchers at the University of Melbourne showing that personal Internet use at work can help focus workers' concentration and increase productivity. Facebook added that "it's in the hands of students, in consultation with their parents, to define priorities and decide how to spend their time." (Read "25 Things I Didn't Want to Know About You on Facebook.") [SNIP]

Read the rest here: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1891111,00.html?cnn=yes

First let me say that I've never been on Facebook (probably the only person in the world), so I don't know what the fuss is all about. I've never even surfed there. You know what an old fuddy-duddy I am. ;)

So is Facebook, Lit Net, or the internet in general to blame for your poor grades? Take the poll and let's see what lit netters think. :D

[BienvenuJDC]

I use Facebook...and of course, LitNet... Since I live about 8 hours from my hometown, Facebook has been a great way to connect with people I grew up with on a day to day basis. I'm just ashamed that this study came from MY hometown. LitNet has actually brought me BACK to reading and intellectual thought. Surveys and studies can easily draw one to come to the conclusion that one WANTS to come to...

[Homers_child]

Well, I don't know how much I can contribute. I don't have any of the social networking sites, but well, that may be because I don't really have any friends. I have one best friend and we don't need those stupid profiles to talk. But apart from the social networking, I am on the internet quite frequently. I go on forums that are usually very good communities where people type with proper English and discuss thought-provoking subjects. And yes, I am a straight A student. But I don't think that if one has a social networking profile then that means they are bad at schoolwork. I think that those websites seem to attract certain personalities maybe, and they happen to be the procrastinators or maybe those that are more interested in talking to friends than studying. Unlike me, who comes home from school and then comes on LitNet to look up the poem we just read and see what other people think of it.

God, I'm such a nerd. :lol:

[1n50mn14]

I like Facebook. I can find out about parties, get togethers, share my photos and random thoughts and blog a lot, keep in touch with people overseas and far away, see what's going on in their lives (I LOVE photos!) and also, people usually refuse to call me and insist on using Facebook to communicate, so if I didn't have it or use it, I'd miss out on a lot.

[JBI]

Heh, I have Facebook, though seldom use it, and have a GPA more in line with the non-users. That being said, 200 odd people is hardly a big enough sample, especially since they all seem to come from one institution, and one country.

[skib]

Its okay Virgil- you aren't missing a thing. I have reactivated and deactivated mine over thirty times, all for the same reason- I have thirty some friends on it, and I don't talk to any of them. At all.
Facebook is a waste of time, especially for socially awkward people like me.

[Virgil]

Let me just say that my poll was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. No one that voted for the failure is a failure as far as I can see. :)

[Mortis Anarchy]

Well--it does make a lot of sense. I'm facebook regularly--but I always put my studies and other responsibilities ahead of it. I use it to keep in contact with my friends, since we have all dispersed to different universities and even countries. It is interesting because some of my friends from elementary school in Annapolis, Maryland actually found me on facebook--creepy? A little. Cool? Very. I do have friends that are on facebook all the time and have struggling grades, but I can't say it is completely to blame on facebook. There is also the lack of work ethic and other social activities that college students (from my perspective at least) find more captivating. It is useful to get a message saying when and where a party/event is going to be. Also, some of my professors have facebook and they send updates via facebook as well. Plus, their is a little touch of narcissism in everyone--everyone for the most part--ok, I can't say everyone, but a lot of people like the fact that other people know what is going on in their lives. I don't advertise a lot of my personal information, such as phone number or relationship status or anything like that. It is just fun to be able to keep up with friends and events.

[Lokasenna]

Facebook basically runs my social life - I'd be hopeless without it, so I do check it a couple of times a day, but only for about 20 seconds. I can't understand the point of all those ridiculous application things. That said, I do know people who are on it for hours at a time, though goodness knows what they're doing for entertainment...

Oh, and I'm passing quite comfortably...

[Ophelia20]

I use facebook frequently and I find it interesting especially to connect with my friends and my family abroad. I spend less than 15 minutes there just to check my inbox and see new notifications!, I have 1478 unread messages and this shows that I'm not addicted to facebook. I'm passing and I'm on the net often!,it's a matter of organization and priorities!

[maraki16]

i do not have facebook, never had facebook, and i do not intend to create a facebook account. i find it worthless. i keep in contact with the people i want. i do not need facebook to do so. and i find it a little stupid to make so many friends there whom i have never seen in my entire life and have never spoken to, just because they appear to be in the friend's list of a friend's friend and so on....
i prefer litnet in order to share opinions with other people. it is much more artistic and educational. really, how many people make 'serious' conversations on facebook? about idle chat, i use msn. that will do just fine for me. and i am not THAT sociable in order to be the 'facebook' type. a friend of mine is crazy about facebook, she used to spend endless hours there. and the applications are....i don't know. if they want to send me flowers or chocolates, they can send me some actual ones in my real address. believe me, i will enjoy it much more!:p

[manolia]

Facebook is fun ;) Lots of free games and you can always chat with people. I never upload photos or post personal information (i have privacy issues :D). I log in many times during the day but i never stay on line more than a few minutes.

[Niamh]

I use facebook to keep in touch with people over the years i've been tardy at texting or emailing. It keeps me up to date with what is going on in their lives, birthdays etc. And i love it for that.

[papayahed]

you have to wonder if the poor gpa students are like that anyways and facebook just happens to be their time waster of choice at the moment.

[motherhubbard]

Could be, Papaya. I'm on lit net all the time, maybe it's my facebook. If I'm at the computer Litnet is at least pulled up on a tab.

[BienvenuJDC]

you have to wonder if the poor gpa students are like that anyways and facebook just happens to be their time waster of choice at the moment.

If it wasn't Facebook...then LitNet...if not LitNet...then TV...or PC Games...or X-Box...or even running in a gang terrorizing people...:(

[dramasnot6]

I'm on the internet plenty and I still manage to get a fantastic GPA, run lots of campus activities, go to the gym every day, and have an in-person social life. Facebook and other internet activities can be managed and integrated into even the most busy lives.

[vheissu]

and the applications are....i don't know. if they want to send me flowers or chocolates, they can send me some actual ones in my real address. believe me, i will enjoy it much more!:p

My thoughts exactly! Especially the chocolate part :D

I have facebook but can't say I'm obsessed with it. It's great to keep in touch with people you don't see often though.
What I don't understand is spending hours looking at every single thing other people do. Although of course, why do people write everything about themselves?

[Virgil]

you have to wonder if the poor gpa students are like that anyways and facebook just happens to be their time waster of choice at the moment.

Good point. Probably something to that.

[JacobF]

Facebook, and the internet in general, are pretty much indispensable in the entertainment and enjoyment they provide. With all the applications and profiles and friends of friends of friends, it's easy to get sucked in, so I can see why facebook may be to blame for poor grades. But poor grades are usually the result of bad study habits and time management, so ultimately it's the student who really is to blame. I spend maybe 10 minutes per day on facebook, because that's all the time i need to check my wall posts, PMs and friend's updates, and I have a 91% average right now (no GPA system in Ontario). It's the compulsiveness of checking it every minute that creates problems, and many of my peers fall prey to this.

Basically, it isn't technology, it's how we use it and resist the temptation of overusing it.

[JBI]

Facebook, and the internet in general, are pretty much indispensable in the entertainment and enjoyment they provide. With all the applications and profiles and friends of friends of friends, it's easy to get sucked in, so I can see why facebook may be to blame for poor grades. But poor grades are usually the result of bad study habits and time management, so ultimately it's the student who really is to blame. I spend maybe 10 minutes per day on facebook, because that's all the time i need to check my wall posts, PMs and friend's updates, and I have a 91% average right now (no GPA system in Ontario). It's the compulsiveness of checking it every minute that creates problems, and many of my peers fall prey to this.

Basically, it isn't technology, it's how we use it and resist the temptation of overusing it.

Highschool? In Ontario there is a GPA system. Really though, high school isn't as intense, or relevant to the data, as in high school, there is far more structure, and you get by by doing what you have to do well, whereas in university, especially ones of repute, you are on your own, and need to do course work, plus additional work to really build yourself up (especially in the humanities). In truth, when all things are considered, perfect means 85+, but even that is beyond difficult to achieve. Most people just slave day and night - there are 3 reading room floors on Robarts, the big library at The University Of Toronto, and rarely there is a vacancy there. The truth is, there are two types of user for facebook. Those who go on there to check someone's email address, and or phone number, and to send a message asking for one of the two, and those who surf the thing. looking at everyone's pictures, and the play by play updates people post about their life (not to mention throwing your own into that). One takes 5 minutes from your day, the other hours. Some people find it entertaining, I personally find it alienating, and don't much care for conversation in that form.


I'm of the mind to think that the study essentially shows nothing - 200 odd people interviewed - take 10,000 people from different parts of the country, then maybe you can get some sort of result.

[JacobF]

Highschool? In Ontario there is a GPA system.

I guess I wasn't aware of it then. We get our report cards with an average in the bottom based on a percentage. And from what I've seen, universities admit Ontario students based on a raw percent average, not a GPA. Never seen a GPA system in place, unless I totally missed something.


Really though, high school isn't as intense, or relevant to the data, as in high school, there is far more structure, and you get by by doing what you have to do well, whereas in university, especially ones of repute, you are on your own, and need to do course work, plus additional work to really build yourself up (especially in the humanities).

Well yeah, university is definitely more challenging and requires more initiative than HS, so I can see overuse of facebook being more of a problem in university. I went to a journalism class at Carleton U for a day (where I want to go when i graduate), and they did in one hour what we as high schoolers would typically do in 1 week. I guess I'm glad facebook isn't too important to me.

[JBI]

What I meant was, the University system here uses GPA, not the high school system, which goes by a cumulative average, rather than a cumulative value out of 4. The universities, however, use GPAs (as does this article, in dealing with undergraduates and graduate students).

[Virgil]

Most high schools in the US do not use a GPA. It's an anomaly if one does. Most colleges do.

[Janine]

If it wasn't Facebook...then LitNet...if not LitNet...then TV...or PC Games...or X-Box...or even running in a gang terrorizing people...:(

Good point! I have Facebook, but hardly ever go there; I didn't think they offered very much and I like it here much better. Like you said, this site has brought a lot of people back to literature. I can't see how any one site, would distract worse than another site. I think Youtube might be more distracting to youth, than Facebook ever could be. This literature site, I would think, if used wisely, could only aid studies. I know I have become more interested in various authors and literature, since I joined this site. If you taylor your posting to certain areas on this forum and others, you can learn much and expand your interests; how can that be detrimental to education? If you hang out on forums or sites, just to email and play games, it might be a distraction. I get overly obsessed myself with this site at times; Youtube as well; Facebook, never! Maybe I just don't know how to navigate or use that site yet to full capacity; I am new there. I have not bothered much with it.

Virgil, that is a very odd article and I think it's all relative and not worth the paper the study was published on.

[Virgil]

Virgil, that is a very odd article and I think it's all relative and not worth the paper the study was published on.

Probably right. I bet it was one of those Government studies that our wonderful taxes are spent on. ;)

The reason I posted this article was because it related to internet use. I thought people here should be aware of it.

[Bellrosk]

My mother informed me of this, I don't really see why 'research' was needed.
It's pretty clear if you're on facebook instead of doing your work then you're not going to do well, the same applies for any other passtime. :)

[Lily Adams]

It's called prioritizing.

I get straight A's and I use the computer fairly regularly.


Most high schools in the US do not use a GPA. It's an anomaly if one does. Most colleges do.

Really?! :eek2: Wowie zowie. That's crazy talk.

[subterranean]

I was glued to the internet on my final year of college as I really needed a distraction from my bachelor thesis. It was the same year that I found Litnet and it rips of my life since then!

[Shannanigan]

you have to wonder if the poor gpa students are like that anyways and facebook just happens to be their time waster of choice at the moment.

I definitely wonder at that. I graduated college with a 3.8 GPA and I'm a total Facebook-a-holic. I even sync'd my Facebook with my Blackberry so I get immediate updates from Facebook on my cell phone throughout the day.

I just know when to exit the Facebook (and LitNet) screen when it's time to get down to work. I highly suspect that if it weren't Facebook these lower-GPA students were on, they would have been on another site like YouTube or MySpace, still procrastinating.


Most high schools in the US do not use a GPA. It's an anomaly if one does. Most colleges do.


Really?! :eek2: Wowie zowie. That's crazy talk.

Sorry Virg, but I'm with Lily on this one; every high school I knew of in California and here in the US Virgin Islands use GPAs, (usually 4.0 scale), and most American colleges ask for your high school GPA on applications.

[higley]

My GPA is dandy but I am almost never ever on Facebook. I do, however, manage to procrastinate on other sites just fine. I need a distraction sometimes. :)

[BienvenuJDC]

Most high schools in the US do not use a GPA. It's an anomaly if one does. Most colleges do.

As far as I know...the one's in Ohio use a 4.0 GPA system....central Ohio at least.

[Mathor]

facebook consumes time in ways that aren't very good for you. Usually to start drama and look at pictures of your friends at parties you weren't invited to and other things that cause social unrest. It's too stalkerish for me. I don't really WANT to know what my friends are doing at all times, and i'm a relatively privated person so I don't like my friends knowing what i'm doing 24/7 "like i heard cause i saw you posted on such and such wall that you're gonna be in town today" and i'm like "hey i haven't talked to you in years...uhh..yeahh..."

[ntropyincarnate]

I have a GPA of 3.8 and I spend ridiculous amounts of time on the internet (especially facebook).

And Virgil, as far as I know every high school in Washington state uses the GPA system.

[Virgil]

I have a GPA of 3.8 and I spend ridiculous amounts of time on the internet (especially facebook).

And Virgil, as far as I know every high school in Washington state uses the GPA system.

Hmm, I guess the grading system has changed since I was in school.

Congratulations on your outstanding grades. Very good. :)

[dramasnot6]

facebook consumes time in ways that aren't very good for you. Usually to start drama and look at pictures of your friends at parties you weren't invited to and other things that cause social unrest. It's too stalkerish for me. I don't really WANT to know what my friends are doing at all times, and i'm a relatively privated person so I don't like my friends knowing what i'm doing 24/7 "like i heard cause i saw you posted on such and such wall that you're gonna be in town today" and i'm like "hey i haven't talked to you in years...uhh..yeahh..."

Haha, that is so true. I am guilty of scrolling through albums.