Inspired Blog #8

Even though I feel like social media networks like Facebook and Twitter may be useful for one reason or the other, I feel like I was wasting a lot of time no for particular reason while I used Facebook. Other than using Twitter for the SRA 397A class not too long ago to post a picture of a poster the class was assigned to hang, I stopped using the two social media networks about a year ago. I feel like I get a lot more work done in a more efficient time. It also made me think, how much time are people wasting on the internet more specifically on the social media networks? So, I decided to look it up on the internet (ironic?) and I found a few interesting articles.

                One article that interested me was about how most people go online for no particular reason according to some recent surveys. Basically people are going online all the time for no reason, just to pass time. A study from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project said they had found around %53 of people; young adults, from the age eighteen to twenty-nice usually go online for no reason, just for a distraction or just for fun. I feel like I could relate a lot to that last statement. In past semesters when I used Facebook, if a class had a computer in it I would generally waste the whole class period looking at Facebook. Now I’ll generally look up useful information in class or periodically check me email.

                They also said that it’s not completely young people wasting their time on the internet; there is also a large majority of adults wasting time on the web as well. The survey said that about %58 of adults which makes up about %74 of internet users are guilty of wasting their time, using the internet for distraction or just for fun.  

                I couldn’t find any information on this, but I wonder how much of this time that people are spending on the web is being logged into a social media network. Which ultimately left me with another question, how much do these social media networks affect a student’s GPA?

I think another factor that relates to this topic is smart phones. Smart phones are now capable of browsing the internet and accessing social media networks. Just walk down Beaver Ave, College Ave, or Curtain Rd, I can almost guarantee that more than half the people are glued to their cell phones. It’s crazy how much the internet and social media networks consume so much of peoples time. I don’t think it’s particularly negative, but I also don’t see any positive coming out of this information. I just feel like people are addicted to the internet and social media.