There is little doubt social networking sites (SNSs) have become an integral part of most students’ lives and even Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that at least 85 percent college students in the U.S. daily visit SNSs. While SNSs may have some benefits, its costs may be even higher and this should not come as a surprise because even the most revolutionary technologies can be misused. First of all, teachers are increasingly concerned students visit SNSs in classrooms and do not pay attention to in-class instruction. The teachers claim students communicate with friends and post status updates on SNSs instead of paying attention to lectures . By not paying attention to lectures, students miss the valuable opportunity to better understand class material which may not only negatively affect their course grades but also lead to poor preparation for the real world where they may have to apply these course concepts. In addition, students who waste time on SNSs are also being unfair to their fellow students. They may cause distraction to those sitting next to them that may be trying to pay attention and similarly, students focused on SNSs may also be less likely to participate in class discussions. Student discussions are usually important component of overall learning experience in many courses.
College students only have so many hours available to them which they have to divide among different tasks including social networking and studying. Thus, students who spend too much time on SNSs may have less time to study. In addition, even when they study, their attention span may be short and they would frequently disrupt their study momentum to visit SNSs. In other words, students who are addicted to SNSs not only commit fewer hours to study but may also cover less of the course material when they do actually study. Studies have also shown a negative relationship between GPA and time spent on SNSs. An Ohio State University survey found that students who frequently visit SNSs study for less than five hours per week and have an average GPA between 3.0 and 3.5. On the other hand, students who do not use SNSs study for eleven hours or more per week and have an average GPA between 3.5 and 4.0 . It is not a surprise because SNSs consume significant time resources which only translate to fewer hours available for study. Thus, despite having certain benefits, SNSs are imposing huge costs on college students by consuming their valuable time resources that should be spent on studying instead. In addition, SNSs not only distract students outside classrooms but inside classrooms as well.
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"Social Networking on College Campuses".
- Bunting, John D., Luciana Diniz and Randi Reppen. “Social Networking on College Campuses.” Grammar and Beyond Level 4 Student’s Book. Cambridge University Press, 2012. 286-287.
