Spending time online doesn't translate to less face time, BYU study shows

PROVO — While many might assume that people who spend a lot of time on social networking sites like Facebook are spending a lot less face-to-face time with others, researchers at BYU say that isn't so.

A new study shows that students who spend more time on cell phones and on the computer visiting social networking sites actually interact more often with their peers in person.

Wade Jacobsen, a research assistant for the BYU sociology department, surveyed 1,026 freshman students at the university. He found that the average student spent nearly an hour every day on social networking sites and 45 minutes texting or talking on a cell phone. Researchers originally thought the use of digital media would isolate students and somewhat replace face-to-face social interaction. But, the study found that social networking sites seemed to facilitate offline interaction.

"The more time they spend online or texting, the more time they spend with their friends off the Internet." Jacobsen said.

Researchers found for every hour students spent on social networking sites and texting on cell phones, real face time increased 10 to 15 minutes. Facebook and texting seemed to encourage students to arrange activities.

"Unlike when the Internet was relatively new, the friends you have online now are the same set of friends you have in real life," Jacobsen said. "The technology helps students get together and make plans."

But researchers did discover a down side to the increased social lives of college students. For every hour a day spent online or texting, students' grade point averages dropped by half a grade — an equivalent of a full-time student dropping from a B+ to a B grade.

Professor Renata Forste, chairwoman of the BYU Sociology Department and co-author of the study, suspects multitasking is behind the grade slip.

"Kids will pull up their laptops and they'll take notes, but then they are playing video games or checking e-mail and I think the students think they can multi-task, but it suggests based on their grades they can't," Forste said.

The study found that 62 percent of students reported being online on social network sites while trying to do homework or study at the same time.

"Other studies suggest that you really can't multi-task and expect to always maintain the same level of performance," Forste said.

The report is published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.

e-mail: aforrester@desnews.com