If you’re in the habit of jumping to conclusions based on incomplete information, then sure.
A study conducted by Ohio State University revealed that Facebook users (148 of the 219 students surveyed) had grade point averages in the 3.0 to 3.5 range, while non-Facebook users boasted GPAs in the 3.5 to 4.0 range.
The gasoline to this fire is the finding that the respondents that were Facebook users spent between 1 to 5 hours per week studying, as opposed to their non-user counterparts who studied between 11 to 15 hours per week.
Seventy-nine percent of the Facebook users surveyed said their use of the social network did not affect their grades and that academics are a main concern.
Of the 219 students surveyed, 102 were undergraduates and 117 were graduate students.
Eight-five percent of the undergraduate students who participated in the survey used Facebook, while 52 percent of graduate students also used the popular social networking site.
Students who worked paid jobs were less likely to use Facebook, though students who were more involved in extracurricular activities were more likely to use the site.
Humanities and social sciences students were less likely to use Facebook than science, technology, engineering, math and business majors.
Racial, ethnic or gender factors did not affect Facebook use.
“It may be that if it wasn’t for Facebook, some students would still find other ways to avoid studying, and would still get lower grades,” said Aryn Karpinski, co-author of the study and a doctoral student at the university, who says she does not have a Facebook account. “But perhaps the lower GPAs could actually be because students are spending too much time socializing online.”
She thinks the social networking site is “a huge distraction.”
Clearly, this is quite a simple look at the potential effects that Facebook has on academic performance, but it’s quite an intriguing glimpse into an idea that all Facebook users are probably already aware of.
Sources:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216500494
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/fox_news_says_facebook_will_ruin_your_grades.php
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