Facebook Hurting Student GPA?

A study by Rey Junco published in Computers in Human Behavior sheds some interesting insight on how using Facebook affects students’ GPA. 

In contrast to other studies on similar topics, this study takes into consideration: gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic stature, along with actual overall GPA collected from the university’s registrar. The findings confirm that some Facebook activities are positively related and others are negatively related to a student’s overall GPA in college.

Essentially, the study finds the following conclusions:

• Time spent on Facebook has a strong negative correlation with overall GPA
• The frequency of Facebook chatting and posting status updates has a weak negative correlation with overall GPA
• The frequency of checking to see what friends are doing and sharing links with others  is positively related to overall GPA

While these results should not be surprising since the more time surfing through Facebook means the less time studying, an alternative idea to consider is that what students are doing with their time on Facebook makes the difference. By sharing information with friends and familiarizing themselves with the latest happenings on campus and in the world around them through social media, students will be more inclined to gain more knowledge and maybe even achieve a higher GPA.

Thanks for your time and keep syncing,

-Nadav