Evan Witt

Research Project

July 26, 2010

Is Facebook as good as people think?

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a student from Harvard University launched the largest social

networking website in the world called Facebook. Today Facebook has over 500 million users.

Coveted with so many awards since being introduced to the world, Facebook also invites a fair

share of controversy to go along with the acclaims. Many people think Facebook can affect

student grades and standard forms of social development. The consequences of Facebook use

in today’s modern society are a demanding topic to research with all of its fame and fortune.

Facebook has created negative consequences felt by the world community and it is time to

learn what these negative consequences are and propose ways to change them. Is Facebook

the reason for lower grades to high school and college students, the cause of countless rapes

and forms of social development?

Facebook, if you do not know already is a social networking website. Users create

profiles with pictures, contact and personal information as well as interests and an “about me”

section. Depending on how the user chooses to adjust their privacy settings can affect who is

able to view this information. Controversy is mainly generated over these privacy settings.

According to sources “Facebook unveiled new security features designed to protect user

accounts” (Prince). Before this people were able to get information from random users very
easily. Unfortunately this opened doors to sexual predators. A famous Facebook related death

was connected to a murder by Peter Chapman. “Peter Chapman, a registered sex offender, was

sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Ashleigh Hall, 17, whom

Chapman courted and lured to her death using Facebook” (Smith). After researching this story,

numerous other similar situations were also noted. All ranging from anywhere from blackmail

just for sex or as corrupt as rape. With all the hype of Facebook building at this time there was

not much attention being brought on these cases.

Facebook is such a hot topic these days. So hot that China chose to ban the website

along with Twitter (another popular networking site). “As of today 8pm Chinese time Facebook

seems not to be accessible from most parts of China Mainland anymore. On the China Telecom

connection of our Shanghai office the service vanished around 7:45pm. In Beijing and

Guangzhou the service is blocked as well, only Hong Kong reports that they can still access the

website.” (web2Asia). The Chinese Government felt threatened by Facebook. Social

networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter were making the people of China question their

government. Thus making the Chinese Government crackdown is an unforgiving way. This is

one example of the stress Facebook can make on the world.

Another big problem connected to Facebook is the lower grades observed from recent

college level and high school students. According to a study done by Ohio State University

“Facebook users had GPAs between 3.0 and 3.5 compared to non-users who had GPAs between

3.5 and 4.0. What may explain the difference in GPAs is the additional fact that Facebook users

averaged five hours a week of studying compared to non-users who studied eleven to fifteen
hours a week. Of the study group, 85% of undergraduates were Facebook users compared to

only 52% of graduate students. Another interesting finding of the study was that those students

with paid jobs were less likely to use Facebook while those who participated in extracurricular

activities were more likely to use Facebook” (Osbourne). With all of the addicting and

distracting applications Facebook has to offer, it is not hard to imagine these students

becoming easily distracted during their study times. “Many people denied this correlation

between having a Facebook account and grades dropping. “ John Kamin, 23, a student at

Hofstra University in New York who uses Facebook, says it is "absurd" to associate the social

network with poor grades or lack of aptitude. "It's a networking tool for people," says Kamin,

who adds that he spends about an hour a day on Facebook, far less time than he spends playing

the addictive game Brick Breaker on his BlackBerry — there's that question of users'

distractability and tendency to procrastinate. But, Kamin says, "I don't think someone is more

or less intelligent because they sign up for it."” (Hamilton).

Maybe the biggest problem people are having with Facebook is how it has the power to

ruin ones social life. “Mental health professionals worry that these cyber interactions are a

detriment to participants in that they discourage traditional human interaction. It is far easier

to log onto a website and chat with friends than it is to drive to their homes to see them in

person, but physical human interaction is important to one's mental well-being. Also,

maintaining contact solely through cyberspace can be damaging in that it is somewhat

superficial and not as meaningful as face to face conversation” (Rizzo). It is true that time can

be wasted without you even knowing when you are logged on Facebook. People do not realize

they are even addicted when in reality they are extremely addicted. This can turn into wasted
weekends while sitting on the computer all night accomplishing nothing. When Facebook is

used with common sense, with caution and the right settings it can make for a good experience.

When people go on just to go on is when it can decline social skills and take away interpersonal

relationships.

Is Facebook the reason for lower grades to high school and college students, the cause

of countless rapes and forms of social development? With evidence of lower GPA’s and

countless murder cases connected to Facebook it is hard not to believe it has its negatives.

Along with evidence supporting Facebook linked with lack of social development it is also easy

to see why so many people ban it. Like I said in the text above, if used properly and for the

right reasons Facebook can be a great experience. Connecting old friends, family and

maintaining your projected image. When your privacy settings are set up correctly and you

accept “your” friends, Facebook will have no harm. Watching out for these cautions will

protect you, your friends and your family.

 Work Cited

Prince, Brian. "EWEEK." Technology News, Tech Product Reviews, Research and Enterprise

Analysis - EWeek. Web. 28 July 2010.

Osbourne, Brian. "Study Finds Facebook Use Affects Grades – Tech Products & Geek News."

Geek.com. Web. 03 Aug. 2010.

Hamilton, Anita. "What Facebook Users Share: Lower Grades - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis,

Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com.

Glockner, Phil. "Fox News Says Facebook Will Ruin Your Grades." ReadWriteWeb - Web Apps,

Web Technology Trends, Social Networking and Social Media. Web. 03 Aug. 2010.

Rizzo, Meghan. "The Negative Effects of Facebook - by Meghan Rizzo - Helium." Helium - Where

Knowledge Rules. Web. 03 Aug. 2010.

Wauters, Robin. "China Blocks Access To Twitter, Facebook After Riots - Washingtonpost.com."

Washingtonpost.com - Nation, World, Technology and Washington Area News and Headlines.

Web. 03 Aug. 2010.