Editorial: Facebook could be bad for your grades

Facebook has had some heavy charges leveled at it over the past few years. From claims that it… Facebook has had some heavy charges leveled at it over the past few years. From claims that it invades the privacy of users to incessant complaints about site redesigns, from employers doing impromptu background checks on potential employees to police making arrests using tagged photos, the social networking site has certainly borne its fair share of criticism and controversy. But now it has to stare down what may be the most damaging claim yet: that using Facebook is bad for your grades.

A pilot study at Ohio State University found that there’s an inverse correlation between the time that students spend on Facebook and the strength of their GPA. According to the study, which surveyed 219 OSU students, Facebook users typically had a GPA between 3.0 and 3.5, while non-users often had GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0.

The study is not conclusive by any means, to which the small sample size and relatively simple methodology can attest. However, there is at least a grain of truth to the results: College students do spend an inordinate amount of time on social networking sites, and it’s hard to imagine that this doesn’t cut into study time somehow.

The sheer prevalence of laptop computers and Internet-capable cell phones is a testament to the connectedness of our generation. Never before has a group of people been so attuned to the world around them and as saturated with information as our generation is now.

This comes with advantages and disadvantages. Teens and young adults today are remarkably tech-savvy and able to adapt to new technological developments quickly and intuitively. But, some have said this technical knowledge creates a generation that is perpetually absorbed in electronic devices and disconnected from the physical world.

From the stereotyped isolation of listening to an iPod to the almost ludicrous proposition of communicating using text-messages or Twitter with someone in the same room, ours is an era that is almost wildly reliant on technology and the Internet.

Even with social networking eating up more and more of students’ time, the creators of the study admitted that there could be other factors at play here. Aryn Karpinski, one of the study’s co-authors, said, ‘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.’

This is a valid point. It would be absurd for us to blame all the social ills of our generation on technology and social networking.

But there is still something to be said for the study’s finding that students who used Facebook said they averaged only one to five hours of studying a week, vs. 11 to 15 with non-users. And even though the sample size was small, it’s easy to imagine that Facebook could distract students from studying or draw their attention away from pending deadlines.

It’s difficult to draw solid conclusions from the study, but it isn’t hard to see our generation’s fondness for technology and social media affecting the amount of time students devote to school work.

And whether or not the study is right, it might be a good idea to keep Firefox closed in that last big push through finals week, just in case.

‘