While a recent study suggests social media sites are detrimental to student performance, many Boston University students say Facebook and other sites are not distractions.
According to The New York Times, the study, conducted by Lock Haven University, found that students spend an average of 106 minutes on Facebook per day.
The researchers, who surveyed 1,839 students, found those who use Facebook for social activities such as chatting and status updates are correlated to lower-GPAs while those who use it informatively by sharing links correlate with higher GPAs.
BU graduate Amy Bennett-Zendzian, a teaching fellow in BU’s Writing Program, said in an interview that while students believe they can multi-task, they often let Facebook distract them from their studies.
“Much as I enjoy it, I’d say Facebook can be detrimental to anybody’s time management, not just students’,” she said. “A number of studies have shown that most people greatly overestimate their own ability to multitask.”
To prevent social media and the Internet from interfering with her studies, College of Arts and Sciences freshman Cherie Pereira said that she separates herself from her technological devices.
“If I need to get serious studying done, I go to the study lounge without my phone and computer. It’s definitely a distraction, but sometimes Facebook breaks make studying seem a little lighter,” Pereira said.
Pereira said that Facebook also serves as a useful tool for her English class, which created a group to share information, discuss assignments and express “mutual misery” over paper deadlines.
“Facebook is so easy and fun that it really takes advantage of the human tendency of poor impulse control, which is always worse when we’re tired or hungry,” Bennett-Zendzian said. “When we’re well fed and well rested, it’s a lot easier to limit distractions and focus on important tasks, but the stresses of student life can make that a lot harder.”
“My study habits aren’t the best,” said Ishaan Puranam, a freshman in the College of Engineering. “For me, [Facebook] is a major distraction, but honestly, everything [at school] is.”
Many students said they use “SelfControl,” an application that allows the user to block websites such as Facebook on their computers for a specified period of time.
“When I’m on Facebook, while doing schoolwork, I’m usually doing something that doesn’t require all of my attention and usually nothing really happens on it unless I actively write on people’s walls,” said CAS freshman Tori Moore. “When I have to do something serious, I use this app that blocks Facebook.”
Although the application blocks students from online distractions, students said they would not solely blame websites such as Facebook for their procrastination.
“It’s great for writing papers,” said College of General Studies freshman Sarah Lawson. “I think the app helps get the work done, but doesn’t necessarily have any direct relation to the grade received.”
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