Feng et al (2019) found that despite the call of using social media technologies for socialisation purposes,
Facebook was found to be a mean of academic distraction
.
Is Facebook a distraction to students?
The heavy use of Facebook or the Internet for entertainment could alter students’ habitual behavior in reading, writing, and attention for completing academic tasks. It is referred to as
academic distraction
, which could lead to a ripple effect on academic achievement eventually.
Are you distracted by Facebook?
Activity. One of the reasons why Facebook is a distraction at work is because there’s much to do in one log-in session. The average Facebook session is 15 minutes, as users click through news feeds, comment on status updates and photos, play games, instant-message chat and send private messages through the site.
Social media is extremely engaging, which makes
it distracting too
. And it’s difficult to stay away from it. But you can stop yourself from indulging in any social media activities by creating a distraction-free zone for yourself.
You find yourself stalking people
… wondering what they’re up to at any given time… You get drawn into content that might be interesting, but isn’t relevant to your studies or purpose. You end up taking Wiki walks, even if you didn’t mean to.
- Turn Off Your Notifications. …
- Limit Yourself. …
- Get A New Hobby. …
- Check In With Friends And Family. …
- Make It A Treat. …
- Delete Apps You Don’t Use. …
- Go Cold Turkey.
You find yourself stalking people
… wondering what they’re up to at any given time… You get drawn into content that might be interesting, but isn’t relevant to your studies or purpose. You end up taking Wiki walks, even if you didn’t mean to.
Fifty-seven percent agree that using social media often distracts them when they should be doing homework. … And 54 percent of teens agree that social media often distracts them when they should be paying attention to the people they’re with.
- Inadequacy about your life or appearance. …
- Fear of missing out (FOMO). …
- Isolation. …
- Depression and anxiety. …
- Cyberbullying. …
- Self-absorption. …
- A fear of missing out (FOMO) can keep you returning to social media over and over again.
Why the Internet is a distraction?
The internet
promotes distraction and multitasking
. … The result is that the internet encourages the return of our natural, “bottom-up” style of attentional control. There’s always something new happening, somewhere else to shift your focus. And, just as with the cab drivers, your brain has to give something up.
More than half — 57 percent
— said social media distracts them from doing homework and 54 percent admitted that they sometimes ignored people they were with to pay attention to social media. And 29 percent said a text or other notification had woken them up at night.
Some studies suggest that using
social networks
can benefit the brain’s ability to forge social relationships and boost interaction, as well as empathy levels. … Making social networking and media more a part of working life also has the potential to boost productivity, rather than take away from it.
Being occupied with other events
while using social media lessens their ability to process and comprehend information. … These events could include school, work, or other important things they may have going on in their life. Social media also distract students from their studies.
If being away from your phone or without internet, and the prospect of not being able to go on social media for a while, makes you feel anxious , it is likely that you have a social media addiction.
- Temporarily Uninstall Social Media Apps. Try uninstalling your social media apps for 12 hours at a time, and see if you can gradually increase the amount of time you go without using them. …
- Set Time Limits. …
- Put Your Apps in Folders. …
- Turn Off Notifications. …
- Check-In With Family.
- Let Your Friends and Colleagues Know That You’re Quitting Social Media. …
- How to Delete Social Media Accounts. …
- Unsubscribe to emails from Social Media. …
- Find a community that’ll keep you accountable. …
- Find a meaningful hobby to replace your social media addiction. …
- Widgets.