At times, a stroll through campus can show an uneven balance between studying activity and Facebook. But a study recently conducted by the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania proved “no strong link” between Facebook usage and dropping grade point averages.
Of the 92 percent of college students who use Facebook@@http://www.scribbal.com/2011/10/infographic-how-college-students-use-social-networking/@@, the average time spent daily on the social networking site is 106 minutes @@http://blog.reyjunco.com/@@— and for every additional 93 minutes spent above the national average, GPAs only dropped by .12 points. Researchers were also quick to say that although there is a correlation, the study falls short of determining Facebook use as the actual cause.
Studying in the Willamette Hall atrium with her iPad, University junior Lorena Mosqueda @@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lorena+Mosqueda@@disagreed with the study’s results, saying that her personal usage of Facebook tends to have negative side effects on her academics.
“I spend at least three hours a day on Facebook,” Mosqueda said. “I really think it hinders my studying abilities, because it’s time spent doing nothing.”
Interestingly, researchers found that students who went online to check in with friends and share links tended to have higher GPAs than those who frequently posted statuses.
University freshman Nina Sobotka@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Nina+Sobotka@@ thinks Facebook usage can go hand-in-hand with school.
“I think that Facebook is definitely a resource for building an academic community,” Sobotka said. “There’s a page for Carnegie Global Oregon where we are posting things like campus events and activities. Even the professors will post links and upcoming events.”@@http://oregoncarnegienetwork.uoregon.edu/global-oregon/@@