By Jose Castillon
Pulse Staff Reporter
Evading social media in our society is difficult, but for students it can cause more than just wasted time.
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and other social media provide constant entertainment, but they have the opportunity to cripple a student’s productivity.
“Every time I study, I end up using Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,” said Palo Alto College student Bertha Cabello, a sophomore Criminal Justice major. “When I’m studying, I have to turn my phone off and put it in the other room so I can study.”
An online study in Computers & Education found that “using Facebook or texting while doing schoolwork were negatively predictive of overall GPA.”
The study also found that social media “limits the capacity for representational holding because working memory is taxed while trying to pay attention to competing stimuli.”
Yvonne Velasquez, a sophomore Criminal Justice major, went 24 hours without any sort of mass media, including social media. The absence of mass media was a whole new experience for her, and she had interesting revelations.
“I got a 90 on my online quiz this week because I decided to put my phone away and turn off the TV and focus on the exam,” Velazquez recalled, when comparing her quizzes when she used social media and when she didn’t.
Paul Luna, a sophomore Liberal Arts Major said, “When I’m studying, social media has no impact on me and sometimes it helps me.”
A study published in McGraw Hill Education has found that students can use social media to help their studying.
“Social media no longer has to be an obstacle to studying; it can help students create and manage a study community,” as noted in the McGraw Hill Education study.
While writing an essay or working on an online class, social media can be just a click away.
Simple tactics, like turning off your phone and computer, prevent distractions, but some students will find it difficult.
Programs on the Internet can help deal with procrastination and help build positive study habits.
SelfControl is a program that blocks access to anything on the Internet that you deem distracting. A timer is set up and any website that you classify distracting is locked away and you can’t access them until the timer is up. It helps with homework that you can’t seem to focus on.
“Keep an eye on your own study habits. If you find yourself spending a little too much time on social media, put the phone down and close the tab. Remember that your grades are more important,” said Andrew Torres, a sophomore Computer Science major.
Social Media is a tool that can either harm or help your studies. It helps to find the balance that you need in order to pass your classes each semester.
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