Facebook: Distraction or boon?

Many Norwich students say Facebook, an online social networking tool, is a distraction when it comes to doing homework.

Liz Spears, 20, a junior English major from Marion County, Calif., said she goes on Facebook anywhere from three to five hours a day."I've gotten better about using (Facebook) since my freshman year when I was on constantly and it would take away from my homework, but now I have learned how to balance it."

"It's a way for me to keep in touch with people, especially my friends who are overseas serving the country," Spears said.

Spears is not the only college student constantly checking her Facebook.

Matthew Ryan, 19, a freshman English and education major from Long Beach, N.Y., said, "I check my Facebook about five to seven times a day."

"I use my Facebook probably five to 10 times a day, probably up to three hours a day if you add up all the hours," said Adrian Dantzler, 20, a junior communications major from Capital Heights, Md. "I talk to my friends back home, my friends at school, family members, my teammates and I post stuff about what's going on in my life."

According to TechCrunch online, "Facebook supports 882 colleges today – there are about 2,000 in the U.S. if you count community colleges," and of these students, "About 85 percent log in at least once a week, and 93 percent log in at least once a month."

Lindsey Mathias, 20, a junior physical education major from Worcester, Mass., said she uses Facebook about three hours a day. "I (get) connected with people and kind of seeing what's going on in other people's lives who I haven't talked to in awhile, seeing how they're doing."

Some students do not like Facebook as much as others.

Ethan Snyder, 20, a junior criminal justice major from Glens Falls, N.Y., states that he uses Facebook only once a day or possibly twice, and he's not really into using Facebook because it doesn't interest him and he finds it to be boring.

Students from other colleges are also using Facebook as a way to connect with people in their lives.

"I can talk to my mom who lives across the United States in San Diego, Calif., and I can talk to my relatives in Germany as well," said Jonathan Alexander, 24, a freshman liberal arts major at Hesser College in Hooksett, N.H.

According to Nielsen, a media research firm, "The average visitor spends 66 percent more time on these sites (Facebook) than a year ago, almost six hours in April 2010 versus three hours, 31 minutes last year."

Samantha Cahill, 20, a freshman medical technology major at UMass Lowell from Newburyport, Mass., said she signs onto Facebook about four to five times a day. Having a Facebook account helps her stay connected with her family and friends who live far away from her.

Students who are always checking their Facebook find it distracting when they need to do their work.

"Facebook and Twitter distracts me from doing my work usually when I'm about to start my homework," Dantzler said. "The first thing I do is get on Facebook or Twitter and I'll be on and then I'll look at the clock and then an hour has passed."

"I'm hoping that there is going to be something special going on for some reason, to keep me busy so I'm not bored," Mathias said. "I'm normally on for about two seconds, and then I'm like, ‘Wait I was on here two minutes ago,' just because I have nothing to do."

"Every time I get on the computer I have to check my Facebook before I do anything even if there's nothing there I'll just refresh the page three to five times. I'm a Facebook addict when I'm bored," Danzler said.

Nielsen reports that "the world now spends over 110 billion minutes on social networks and blog sites. This equates to 22 percent of all time online."

"I'd rather sit on Facebook than do homework like any normal person," Cahill said. "Facebook is an important part of my life and I enjoy going on and playing different games."

Some students say that Facebook helps them do their work.

"It helps me get in contact with people when I need to get stuff done for school because I don't have everyone's number," Dantzler said. "Pretty much every college student has Facebook, so just type in someone's name, send them a message and you will get a response back pretty quickly. [It helps] sometimes with group projects and stuff."

Ryan also finds Facebook to be helpful when doing his work. "If I don't know what an assignment is I'll log on to Facebook, it's got that little chat thing and I'll just hit up someone who's in my class."

But others say it is a major distraction.

Mathias said that Facebook makes it tough to get her work done. She said that if she is on Facebook while doing her work, "Instead of continuing to do my work and finishing whatever I am typing out I go immediately to Facebook to see what (someone) said."

"The reason why I procrastinate is because of Facebook. I actually have good intentions of doing my homework until I get on Facebook," Dantzler said.

Other students say Facebook does not prevent them from keeping up with work.

Mathias said that Facebook sometimes makes her procrastinate but if she is getting help from someone for a project or class work she finds Facebook helpful.

Said Ryan, "When I want to procrastinate I'll just go on Facebook, but if there's something I have to do I'll put Facebook on hold for a bit and do it."

Some students use their phones to access Facebook.

Dantzler said that he uses Facebook on his phone throughout the day; he says that he is always staying connected.

"When I am away from my computer it is a way to see what's going on, to check my comments and notifications and stuff," Spears said.

According to Facebook mobile, "there are more than 200 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users."

"I do the same reasons I use it on my computer, to talk to people and see what they are doing and being social within the means of the network," Alexander said.

Cahill said that she uses Facebook on her mobile phone wherever she goes.

Other students prefer using their laptops.

"I have an application on my phone so if I want to go right on Facebook I could," Mathias said. "I don't like to because I'm mostly on when I'm at home so I only go on just check something out if I haven't been on in a couple hours because God forbid I just I might miss something."

Snyder can't access Facebook on his phone.

"The phone I use is one of those unbreakable phones and I don't really want internet on my phone (to access Facebook); that's what I have a laptop for," Snyder said.

Facebook has pros and cons, according to students.

"It depends on what I'm using Facebook for, if I'm using it to get in contact with people and to get stuff done then it's very beneficial," Dantzler said. "But if I'm just using it to be nosey or just to look at pictures or just to goof off then it is a major setback."

Spears said, "I wouldn't say it's beneficial or a setback it's just there, it's something that I do."

"It can be a benefit if I have friends from class and I have a question, I can Facebook them," Spears said. "(But) it can be a big distraction."

"I mean it's not benefiting me, but it doesn't set me back because I don't have to be on Facebook all the time, it's just something to do if I'm bored really," Cahill said.

Facebook will always be there, and if it is a distraction, students say they will have to learn to balance their time better and put Facebook on the backburner until their work is done.