University bans students from social media for a week
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania has taken the interesting step of banning its students from Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging for a week. The ban has been enforced by Provost Eric Darr, who wants his students to see how their behaviours, habits and daily schedules are driven by social media. At the end of the week students will be asked to write an essay on their time during the social media ban.
Opinions are mixed on the move, with some students becoming concerned about how cut off they’d feel, while others don’t feel they have any attachment to Facebook and Twitter.
Some like it, some don’t. Some say they’re getting [more] work done; some of them say, ‘I need my Facebook!’
Gio Acosta, a junior
Facebook addiction
How much time do you spend on social media? It’s estimated that 92% of American students now log into Facebook, and spend an average of 147 minutes surfing the social media site each week. That’s almost 10 hours a month, or an entire work day! The results are likely to be replicated over here in the UK, particularly as London is the number one city for Twitter users, according to the Twitter Grader.
With many users turning to social media before they even get out of bed, and before they go to sleep, has social media become an essential part of our day without us realising?
