Research+and+References

[] =Cambridge University students spend more time on Facebook than study=

More than half of Cambridge University students spend more time surfing the web on sites like Facebook than studying, a new survey revealed.
Published: 7:00AM BST 17 May 2010

Some 56.5 per cent of students admitted spending more time on the web than work and 57.4 per cent believed that their academic work was badly effected as a result. An online poll by student paper The Tab also found that 63.9 per cent admitted to spending the most amount of internet time on social networking sites like Facebook.

Overall 85 per cent of students said they frequently stay online for longer periods of time than planned, with 46.3 per cent spending 4-5 hours and one fifth over six hours a day online. But while 80.56 per cent said that internet addiction could exist 53.7 per cent do not believe that it should recognised as a clinical disorder.

~Musawwir

[|http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf] [|http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2009/dec/lw23social.cfm] [|http://www.tnhonline.com/unh-study-social-media-usage-doesn-t-affect-academics-1.1115452] A report done by the University of Hampshire shows that social networking, including Facebook, does not affect students grades. The results are as follow.

Heavy Users of Social Media Higher grades 63% Lower grades 37%

Light Users of Social Media Higher grades 65% Lower grades 35%

Heavy users use social media more than an hour a day, Light users use social media less than half an hour a day, Higher grades are A's, or A's and B's Lower grades are B's only and lower.

~Musawwir  [] =Facebook has no negative effects on academic grades= By ANI May 8th, 2009

WASHINGTON - A new study may allay fears that Facebook use is related to lower college academic grades.

Last month, an unpublished study suggested that using the popular social networking site could lead to diminished grades. However, those findings did not replicate in the new research. “We found no evidence that Facebook use correlates with lower academic achievement,” said Eszter Hargittai, associate professor of communication studies at Northwestern University. For the study, the researchers used relevant information from three existing data sets- a sample of more than 1,000 undergraduates from the University of Illinois, Chicago; a nationally representative cross sectional sample of 14- to 22-year-olds; and a nationally representative longitudinal panel of American youth aged 14- to 23. They, however, could not detect a significant negative relationship between grade point averages and Facebook use. “I suspect that basic Facebook use — what these studies measure — simply doesn’t have generalizable consequences for grades,” said Hargittai. According to the study, the doubts about the use of social networking sites with respect to students are reminiscent of those cast on earlier new media, including TV and motion pictures, and their effect on children. “The Internet and social networking sites in particular can be used in many ways, some of which may be beneficial to the user and others less so. More important than whether people use these sites is what they do on them. Cultivating relationships, for example, can lead to positive outcomes,” said Hargittai. The researchers, however, insist that their findings should not be taken to mean that Facebook use can never have deleterious effects on academic performance. “If students are spending excessive time on Facebook at the expense of studying, their academic performance may suffer, just as it might by spending excessive time on another activity,” said Hargittai. He added: ” We need more research with more nuanced data to better understand how social networking site usage may relate to academic performance.” The study has been published in the online journal First Monday. (ANI)

[] []

Nov 28, 2009
=Online addicts' grades suffer= =Young addicts may also find it difficult to function normally in daily life, say experts= By Lester Kok and Eisen Teo

If you think that spending too much time on the computer is bad for your grades - well, it is. --PHOTO: REUTERS
IF YOU think that spending too much time on the computer is bad for your grades - well, it is. An American study by Ohio University has found that college students who used Facebook spent less time studying and scored lower grades than those who were not busy 'poking' their friends online. Facebook users in the study of 219 undergraduates had grade point averages (GPAs) of between 3 and 3.5, while non-users had GPAs of between 3.5 and 4. In Singapore, a Straits Times survey of 653 youths also found that those who admitted they were addicted to computer games generally did worse in school than those who said they were not addicted. The poll, executed by online entertainment company Sulake, questioned teens between the ages of 12 and 18 on youth networking site Habbo Hotel. Of those who were not addicted, 59 per cent said they scored mostly As and Bs, while 6 per cent scored mostly Cs and Ds and below. For addicts, 50 per cent scored mostly As and Bs while 14 per cent ended up with Cs and Ds and below. **lesterk@sph.com.sg** **eisenteo@sph.com.sg** ~Musawwir
 * Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.**
 * Additional reporting by Eunice Ng**

[] The study, published in the CyberPsychology & Behavior Journal, analyzed the effect of Facebook use on the romantic relationships of college students. The results are as follows:
 * - Accessibility of information:** Increased info about the interactions of significant others lead to increased monitoring and jealousy for 19.1% of participants
 * - Relationship jealousy:** 16.2% of respondents were explicitly linked to Facebook use contributing to jealousy
 * - Facebook as an addiction:** 10.3% of participants had major difficulty limiting the amount of time he or she looked at his or her partner’s Facebook profile.
 * - Lack of context:** 7.4% of respondents referenced how Facebook can be ambiguous and that, without context, jealousy can be spurred over misunderstandings.

[] The website above is a comprehensive research of the other studies carried out that proves or against Facebook affecting one's grades. [] This website shows how Facebook affects student's relationship. [] Study: Facebook and MySpace Enhance the Positive Relationships Kids Already Have [] Internet Paradox: A social technology that Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being?