And maybe the most prevalent academic distraction, too.
“Facebook is a great social asset, but when you log on, one thing leads to another,” said Teddy McClain, a sophomore at
The study, conducted at Bridgewater State College, shows that 51.3% of college students rank Facebook as the number one online addiction on campus. 81.4% rank it either first or second. Other common distractions, such as instant messaging and video games, accounted for considerably smaller percentages.
“I use other computer programs and sites, but not anywhere near as much as I use my Facebook,” said Amy Foran, another Northwestern sophomore. “Facebook has allowed me to stay in contact with tons of people, but at the same time it’s a virtual black hole. It sucks away countless hours from my schoolwork.”
Daniela Karidi, a Northwestern teaching assistant for Statistics in Communication Sciences and Disorders, does not believe Facebook is particularly addicting compared to other potential distractions.
“I don’t think it’s different from any other distracter,” said Karidi, 31. “I don’t think that specifically, Facebook is a different distraction than AIM or checking email. There are a percentage of people who are easily distracted and will do it, no matter what the distraction.”
Sally Chung, a Northwestern freshman, feels that Facebook does, in fact, maintain certain attributes that make it more distracting and addictive than other online outlets.
“The problem with Facebook is that it’s not one of those sites that you can just check for one thing,” said Chung, 18. “Person to person, picture to picture, wall to wall, it’s a series of connections. It’s really ridiculous.”
Facebook.com’s formal features may not be the only reasons for its seemingly distractive nature throughout academia. Some students believe that at least part of the blame lies with the universities themselves, as they do not always create an incentive to avoid distraction.
“Five minute breaks turn into distraction,” said Chung. “[Facebook] is a lot more entertaining than reading texts. It doesn’t help that there’s no real check on reading. Nobody checks in big lecture classes.”
David Stehura, a Northwestern sophomore, feels that many colleges’ insistence on the use of technology may be another outside factor that facilitates Facebook and other online distractions.
“A lot of our work requires computer access and it’s hard to resist logging in [to Facebook] for the distraction,” said Stehura, 19. “It comes with the times, but if you’re schoolwork calls for a computer and the Internet, you are more likely to be tempted.”
While most students and educators agree that Facebook serves as a leading distraction from schoolwork, it is unclear just how much of an effect it has on academic performance.
“[Facebook] definitely has not helped me, but it hasn’t severely hindered my academic life,” said Sarah Kessler, a freshman at Northwestern.
McClain, 19, however, feels that Facebook has clearly hindered her academic efforts, and those of other students she knows.
“I constantly use Facebook as a mechanism to avoid doing my schoolwork or other things,” said McClain. “I’ve heard so many people say, ‘I’m going to stop going on Facebook tonight and do my work.’ But really they don’t.”
Sophomore Amy Foran says she knows of only one sure way to not be distracted by Facebook – not having one.
“[Facebook] is very distracting for many of my peers,” said Foran. “In fact, many people deactivate their accounts for finals week, just so that they are not in a position to deny the temptation to check their accounts. It’s really the only way.
“As a social networking site, [Facebook] is useful for its purpose,” she said. “It allows you to keep in touch with people that you would probably loose contact with otherwise. But it can be distracting and detrimental to your academic life.”
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