MatthewVB

Mashable has a great article with an awesome snapshot graphic about Facebook use in the USA. Thanks to Muhammad Saleem for posting this at Mashable. (click image for full-size)

I read today over at RWW that FOX News covered a story, “Facebook Users Get Worse Grades in College.” The report follows an Ohio State Study that surveyed ~200 students (just over half grad-students) showing that Facebook usage is correlated to lower GPA.

I’m a bit frustrated for two main reason:

1) This isn’t breaking news. I reported in my research 3 years ago about the relationship between Facebook and GPA. I would not say conclusively that prolonged usage of Facebook results in lower GPAs, just that a relationship exists there (same as the researcher said from Ohio State). As I suggested, more research needs to be done in this field. Now, perhaps that’s what Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State did, but I’m not sure – haven’t seen the full dissertation yet. I’m assuming the research was a bit more qualitative than mine was, but it sounds like Fox is taking this a bit far with their overly suggestive title. It’s more than complex than simple usage drives down GPA.

2) I’m just a bit stunned that it took 3 years from the publication of my research and the spike in Facebook traffic last fall to get the news to realize something is going on here. There are tons of things on social networks that are impacting college students (and society) that need to be examined. Yes, there is a relationship between lower GPAs and increased Facebook usage, but why didn’t you cover the relationship between students of color using Facebook as a medium to connect with people on a college campus – when they felt unable to connect in person? Or about the way it allows for non-heterosexuals to connect to other students on a college campus? These are just a few of the golden nuggets that lie in the usage of Facebook.

If you ask me from the perspective of a person with a master’s degree in counseling and student development, I’d rather have a student spend an extra hour on Facebook and feel connected to campus and suffer a few tenths of a point drop in GPA, then to have a student feel disconnected from their campus for a mere few tenths of a point. The goal of a college is to educate first, but that includes social education. Connecting students is critical to students feeling accepted and able to succeed.

If you want to really learn about students and their life online, check out what Kevin Guidry is doing. Now this is where colleges (and news agencies) need to focus — understanding the online world, how we can live within it, and how we can use it to enhance society.

We need more research – more data. If you have some, please share it! We need to educate society about social networks and the impacts they have on…well, the rest of society.

Aryn: I look forward to reading your work. I hope you would send me a copy once it’s completed. And if you’re interested, I’d love to share my data that I’ve collected and collaborate on some future research with you.

(Danah Boyd is another great researcher on the topic – please check her out and read her great work.)

Update 4/14@9:38a: I just discovered that USA Today (via CNET), Time, and MSNBC have all posted similar stories about the research. Time and USA Today seem to provide a bit more than the FOX story,  but MSNBC is using the same article that FOX used. Still more needs to be said than just the same story — let’s see the other research people! I know there’s some people in Indiana doing this research as well.

I’ve recently stumbled upon a few stats that I find interested regarding my thesis I wrote in 2006, “Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus.” I’m not trying to brag, but just excited to see my research is starting to make an impact on society and is being used beyond what I intended it for. This is very exciting in the area of social network research and the sociological and psychological implications it has. I made a few conclusions at the end of my thesis on the impacts Facebook carries, and look forward to seeing that theory expand as others add to the field.

Cited in Publications

I’ve been cited in 3 published books that I’ve been alerted from Google Book Search. They are:

• Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World (Baron, 2008)
• Psychological Aspects of Cyberspace: Theory, Research, Applications (Barak, 2008)
• New Directions in Interpersonal Communication Research (Smith, 2009)

I’m very excited about these published works and am on the look for others citing my research. I’m assuming it’s starting to make it’s way into academic journals (something I wish I would’ve written it up for) and look forward to seeing academics add to the pool of social networking research.

Thesis Viewing Statistics

I’ve also recently noticed that K-State has begun publishing the statistics at the K-State Research Exchange (K-REx). K-REx allows students and faculty to submit research publications electronically as opposed to paying for the creation of mulitple print versions, binding fees, etc. Plus — it allows everyone with Internet access to read the research posted, without needing to be a student or have special access to the library collection.

K-REx has been keeping stats (from what I can tell) since July 2008. Since then, my thesis has had over 1200 views with an average of over 150 views a month. I’ve been the number one most viewed thesis for 6 of the 8 months (most recently beat out by faculty research on “Carcass disposal: A comprehensive review.” While I don’t have research interests in this area, it makes sense as Kansas is a very agricultural-based state and K-State has devoted many departs to studies surrounding argiculture.

Conclusion

I wanted to write this because, overall, I’m just flattered. I never really saw my thesis getting such traction. I claimed it was groundbreaking when I presented it and am delighted to see that it’s holding true. This is also a time when I need to reflect on bringing my research back to the front of my life and doing some follow-up on it and the progress/changes/status of where students (and society) are with social networks. I’m curious to learn more (as evident by my continued pursuit of advanced degrees) on the topic and would be interested in seeing how to take this research beyond groundbreaking and to the next academic/sociological/psychological level.

Well, I’m happy to say this is probably the first time I’ve been cited in a newspaper for my research.

Recently I was interviewed by The McGill Daily of Montreal, Canada. Nikki Bozinoff published an article, “Anti-social site pokes fun at Facebook,” where she explored some of the reasons people don’t sign up for Facebook. I was happy to be put in the great ranks with Danah Boyd.

I’ve removed a few posts in order to make this blog more tech focused. I’ve launched a new blog for those interested in my research on social networks and the impact they play on a college campus.

Update: 5.1.2007: I’ve removed a few other links and put them on my new personal blog which will focus on my personal life and random thoughts in the world. matthewvb.com will continue to be focused on technology and web developments.