The internet is a big part of our world today. It is how we
do homework, research, and social networking. Without the internet this
assignment would be much more challenging than it is. According to lecture, in
1969 ARPANET was created out of fear of nuclear war and it was the first
decentralized computer network. Hypertext was created in 1980 and then came the
World Wide Web. The internet took on a life of its own and became so essential
to everyday life as we know it to be today. There are many concerns with the
internet however, involving focus and concentration among college students and
whether it is a factor in receiving lower grades. Many students can admit that
they have browsed the internet while in class and gotten on facebook while they
should have been doing homework. Could the internet be responsible for
declining grades among students, or is there another reason for this entirely?
According to an article found in a social sciences database, “students devote a
significant amount of time to both academic (M = 1.82 hrs per day) and
recreational (M = 2.50 hrs per day) Internet activities, and that Facebook
users (n = 153, 96% of the sample) spend an average of two hours per day on the
site, accounting for almost half of total time spent on the Internet and approximately
80% of recreational use” (O’Brian). This proves that the internet is not
specifically used to be unproductive, but also used for academic reasons. You
may or may not be surprised to find out that almost two hours a day are spent
on facebook and this can lead to large amounts of distraction as any college
student could tell you. The article goes on to say that “despite these
findings, a regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between
Internet and Facebook usage patterns and academic performance” (O’Brian). I was
a little shocked to learn this considering how much time is spent on the
internet but I’m relieved to know that there is no correlation between academic
performance and Facebook usage. This gives me some peace of mind while I
distract myself for a while on the internet and then return to my assignments.
One might even argue that the little breaks help to concentrate and retain
information in the long run.
Works Cited
O'Brien, Shannon J. "Facebook and other Internet use and the academic performance of college students." Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol.72(8-A),2012, pp. 2682. Web. 18 April 2012.
