How many times do you refresh your news feed until the time is ripe to write your essay? Will something really come up that is more important than the essay’s deadline? How long do you chat with a friend before you should really start studying for your math test? The conversation can wait until another day, but can the test? Based on the number of my Facebook friends that are logged in late into the night, such questions are not at the top of their priorities.
Facebook is a hindrance to academic performance, because despite the help it can offer, most users just do not know where to draw the line between “asking a question for homework” and “scrolling through last week’s Homecoming photos in an attempt to distract oneself from homework”.
Taking to Facebook is counterproductive when students are assigned large amounts of homework. Many students complain that they work too hard and for too long when they get home, and go to sleep too late. Being logged into Facebook can only add to these long hours, because of its distracting nature. There is a never-ending list of Facebook features to peruse: statuses, photos, apps, messages, and more. If students are really intent on procrastinating, they can amuse themselves on Facebook for hours on end. Even if they have good intentions and just want to quickly check for general updates before starting homework, it is easy to get diverted.
Students then proceed to voice their despair by messaging their friends on Facebook and detailing just how painful the homework is. They drag both themselves and their friends into a pointless conversation. Revisiting the questions posed at the beginning of the article, what is more important? Complaining about the amount of homework assigned, or actually completing it and therefore having less to complain about?
To gauge whether students think Facebook is more of a hindrance or an asset to academic performance, I surveyed 75 sophomores. Two-thirds of those students agreed it was more of a hindrance. The large majority of people find that Facebook is a distraction from schoolwork.
Ben Restaino ‘16, who voted for the “harmful” option, said “[Facebook] is very addicting. Instead of doing their work, students are sucked intro scrolling through their newsfeed or chatting with friends, which can lead to less focus on their studies and a lower overall academic performance.” He reiterates the point that whether knowingly or not, students get pulled into the temptation of checking Facebook and striking up conversation with their friends.
Facebook does have its merits when someone wishes to pose a question to their peers to clarify a homework point. Sophia DeMarchi ‘16, who voted that Facebook is more helpful, defended this value: “Facebook offers the great feature of having groups created for specific classes you are in! This way anytime you have a question it will be quickly answered by a peer.” However, she admits that Facebook is only wholly successful as a resource when “you use it wisely and aren’t glued to the computer”. This is the crucial point for many Facebook users because, as mentioned above, it is not always so easy to spend time as meaningfully as one should.
While gains may be made by taking to Facebook for schoolwork, the end result is often to stay logged into Facebook and waste time browsing. No one keeps the key questions in mind of when to draw the line and log off to accomplish work. You can talk to your friends after finishing your homework, and actually enjoy the conversation without feeling guilty for not working. There isn’t much of a chance that refreshing your newsfeed once more will lead to a revelation more important than finishing your schoolwork and getting to sleep at a reasonable time. You’re only hurting yourself by staying logged in.