When faced with the decision of whether or not I would participate in Tweeting for this semester’s RCL class–a choice we all had to make–the concept of it really bothered me. Though I’m sure most of the class instantly loved the idea, from my perspective Twitter is used for time-wasting: following celebrities who will never follow you back, and posting short tidbits most people will scroll over etc. The physical set up of Twitter seems to appeal to many people, but not to me; out of all the time-wasting sites, I prefer Facebook and it’s layout–where you are not limited on how much you can say. Also, someone please tell me, when did the pound sign/number sign become a “hash-tag”? (Who came up with that name?)
But, all hash put aside, after considering it, I chose to go along with this new Tweeting part of class for multiple reasons: I didn’t see why I shouldn’t. Having been previously pestered by some of my friends I created my Twitter account a little less than a year ago, figuring that I should try it once before I judge. Up until this semester’s class I really hadn’t used it much but, considering I already had an account, why shouldn’t I participate?
Then the thoughts about distraction intruded on my decision process. I thought, if everyone is preoccupied–even more-so than they might otherwise be–Tweeting on their Smartphones and computers they will obtain less of the information discussed in class. Maybe it would be better for me not to participate so I can obtain as much information as I can? Sadly though, I realized, this distraction does not solely apply to those students using a device; it also applies to anyone who may be sitting near them. According to a new Canadian study, those who used only paper/pencil during class scored significantly less when they were seated near someone multitasking on a laptop–this goes for Smartphones as well. One of the researchers in this experiment, Faria Sana, says “You might not be multitasking but if you have a clear view of someone else who is multitasking, your performance is still going to be impaired.” This impairment critically reduces grades, “it can change your grade from a B+ to a B-“. Studies such as this prompted my conclusion that my decision would have no effect on distraction, because even with me choosing to not participate I’d still be surrounded by people who were.
I would not gain anything by not participating, and I would not lose anything by participating. Factoring all the risks, it was brought to my attention the assignment which would have to be completed if my decision was no. I hate to admit, but laziness was also a factor. Should I pick the continuous assignment of posting (limited) tweets, or the other option which would most-likely consume more of my time? Certainly the latter did not appeal to me, even though my annoyance with the promotion of such a superficial, distracting, site remains.
On a separate note, could this new classroom experiment give more substance to Twitter? Could our voices possibly break past the bashing of Miley Cyrus, or cute animal pictures, or the winy complaints from people about how bad their life is? I’m sure everyone notices all of these things I’m talking about, the stuff that doesn’t matter–time-wasting content. Twitter constitutes the last thing I’d ever want to preoccupy my time with in a world filled with much more urgent and deep content. If this experiment could possibly give a little more depth or purpose to the pointless void that is Twitter, then why not? For me, this might actually give me a reason to tweet.
Cites:
http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2013/08/20/new-study-shows-computers-in-class-distract-both-users-and-non-users/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/laptop-use-lowers-student-grades-experiment-shows-1.1401860
Yes, you do have very valid points! As I came closer to the end of this piece I did realize many of my opinions are from the stereotyped view, which is why I put in the end bit about putting more depth on Twitter. I think though you are right about me being a tad overly narrow in my views of Twitter, but honestly that is what my view was when I first started and even so I struggle to find use in having people like scientists or world-news journalists Tweet since they are only allowed to say so much–I’d personally rather just read books and/or articles if I want to find out what people like this have to say. Interesting stat (3% dedicated to Justin Bieber and Wisconsin, wow!) It’s nice to know there are people–like you–who actually follow people for useful/educational purposes. Thanks for the comment!! (haven’t gotten around to reading your blog this semester, but will try to get to that!)
Erin, as someone who pretty much never actually tweets (I only ever retweet), I think you have developed an overly stereotyped view of what Twitter is for. While I do agree that Twitter is sometimes overly abused (3% of Twitter servers were once dedicated to Justin Bieber and Wisconsin, I think, holds the US record for most profane tweets), I use Twitter for an entirely different reason. Before this semester started, the only people I followed were gamers, scientists, the Dalai Lama, Lindsey Stirling, and Richard Engel (a news reporter who covers the Middle East). I care about what these people have to say: scientists inform me of the latest scientific discoveries, the Dalai Lama provides inspiration for everyday day, Richard Engel keeps me up to date on all the major news of the world, etc. As such, I understand the arguments you presented here, but I also think that you should keep in mind that Twitter can be very useful and educational at times.
I also am not a huge Twitter fan and I find myself really only using it when I am trying to waste time. Using Twitter for the class made it seem a little more purposeful and so far it has served as an agent of outside class communication. Like you, I’m interested to see whether it will embellish or hinder behavior and discussion in class.
Had there not have been such a large requirement for the other option, I definitely would have considered NOT Tweeting for the class. I would agree with the fact that you could always move away from them, but I have noticed, especially in some of my lager–lecture hall–classes that sometimes it can be very hard: it’s not rare to have someone either to the right and/or to the left, and/or in front of you, who has a laptop open. Haven’t you ever been the least distracted by someone scrolling or typing away while you were tying to focus on what the teacher was saying? I’m glad to hear you liked my post!
For me, the driving factor for tweeting was primarily not having to write 6 pages worth of papers. But then again I already had a Twitter, so I wasn’t going to oppose it–I’d rather write small installments than a large paper all at once. Of interest to me in your blog post was the study you referenced that found that kids who sit near people who multitask with electronic devices earn lower grades. I don’t really believe that–if the person is just browsing the web on their laptop, it’s not as if they were talking and disrupting the class. And if you are distracted by it, then the easy solution is not to sit there… So I don’t think the study’s findings have as much of an impact as they seems to assert. But anyway, I really liked your post–keep up the good work!
I agree that I was a little hesitant about the twitter assignment, but I decided I would rather not do the other assignments… I think that even though twitter is known for celebrities and extraneous life updates that no one cares about, it is also used for politics, debates, and many other scholarly things. I definitely believe we can be a part of that!