Wade Jacobsen and Dr. Renata Forste, Sociology

Electronic media (EM) include social networking sites (SNS), instant messaging (IM), text messaging, email, television and movies, and video and online games. Though the use of these devices has recently exploded among college students, little research has been conducted to explore the influence they have on academic performance and face to face social interaction. We addressed this gap in the literature using survey research methods. First, we constructed an internet survey using Qualtrics online survey software. We distributed the survey, including a short questionnaire and three day time log, to all entry level and transfer students in their first year at Brigham Young University. During construction, four pilot surveys with requests for feedback were distributed in order to enhance the validity of our instruments. We received IRB approval in June 2008 and later received access to student email addresses and permission to perform a mass mailing. Pre-approved fliers notifying students of the coming email were posted in the main lobby areas of campus dormitories. These fliers also notified students of incentives in the form of gift cards and coupons to campus stores offered for their participation. Students were informed several times throughout the survey that any participation was voluntary and information they provided would be kept strictly confidential.

In constructing the time diaries, we allowed participants to select any three days, including two week days and a weekend day, during a three week period to complete them. We took into account student multitasking capabilities while using EM. Each half hour period per 24 hour day, students selected between one and three activities (e.g., primary, secondary, and other) to describe what they were doing. Options were selected from a list of 44 daily online and offline activities common to students. Respondents were asked to specify other online and offline activities not included in the list.

We drew our sample from approximately 5,000 entry level and transfer students who were in their first year at Brigham Young University (BYU) during the 2008-09 academic year. Of those who received the email notification for the survey and time log, 1,193 students participated. In addition, 167 cases were dropped, including 166 with missing data in the grade point average variable and one extreme outlier. Therefore, we limited our sample to N = 1,026 cases. Our sample included more women students, slightly more international students and fewer transfer students than the general population.

Based on previous findings, we formulated two directional hypotheses. First, we anticipated that increased exposure to each electronic medium would be negatively associated to fall semester GPA. Second, we expected to find evidence of a displacement effect, or a negative relationship, between time spent using each electronic medium and time spent socializing offline. Finally, we employed robust regression statistical techniques to estimate the relationship between EM exposure and two outcomes, fall semester GPA and offline social interaction.

The average fall semester GPA for the sample was 3.28. Students spent an average of two hours and 46 minutes per day participating in offline social interaction. On average, students spent approximately 52 minutes per day using SNSs (usually Facebook). They spent just over half an hour sending and receiving emails, about ten minutes chatting online or IMing, nearly 45 minutes talking on a cell phone or text messaging, about ten minutes playing video or online games, and close to an hour watching TV or movies. Students spent almost five and a half hours per day in class, studying, or doing some other academic related activity and just over an hour participating in some kind of religious or spiritual activity. The latter is assumed to be relatively high in comparison with other universities as BYU is a private religious institution. Respondents also spent an average of about an hour a day working or volunteering.

SNSs and cell phone communication are significantly associated with declines in GPA, but based on our results, this is not due to some trade off with time spent in class or studying. Our results indicate that 61% of the respondents used some kind of nonacademic EM while in class, studying, or doing homework. Thus, it would seem more probable that increased accessibility to the internet and text messaging permits students to use cell phone communication or SNSs while doing academic related work, thereby increasing distractibility. This speculation is consistent with findings by Levine et al. (2007) who discovered evidence of academic distractibility among IM users, many of whom were frequently signed in whenever their computer was on. TV viewing is also negatively associated with GPA, but this is more likely due to a trade off with schoolwork among high risk viewers. High risk TV/movie viewers spend less time studying or doing homework than those who watch TV or movies for less than one hour per day.

Our findings suggest that SNSs and cell phone communication may facilitate offline social interaction. There are several explanations for this phenomenon based on previous results. First, students are multitasking, and are likely sending and receiving text messages or checking social networking sites while hanging out with friends and family. In addition, students are likely using cellular phone communication and SNSs to make plans with friends to go on dates, hang out, or socialize. Finally, access to SNSs and cellular phone communication gives students greater access to social situations in general. They provide students with additional mechanisms for meeting new people and keeping in touch with old friends, causing their social networks to branch out and expand.

These results have been presented to several campus entities, including the Office of First Year Experience and Freshman Academy, for the purpose of informing students and faculty of the influence of EM on student life. By December 2009 we will submit our findings in manuscript form to Sociological Perspectives. We then plan to continue the study by using qualitative research methods to further investigate the questions posed by the current study. We are interested in learning why some EM devices seem to facilitate face to face social interaction and in exploring the relationship between multitasking and distractibility.

References

• Levine, Laura E., Bradley M. Waite, and Laura L. Bowman. 2007. “Electronic Media Use, Reading, And Academic Distractibility In College Youth.” CyberPsychology and Behavior 10(4):560-566.