User:Kcmiyagi/Attention Span and the Internet

1. For my project I was going to focus on a combination of education and in-person socializations. I have noticed that among college students, their attention span has become much shorter than before. This shorter attention span affects both one’s focuses in school and in one’s real life interactions.

2. The constant usage of the different applications on the Internet has created a negative correlation between college students and a shorter attention span. Many college students, as well as other individuals of different ages, are constantly checking and updating different sites i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. Now that these applications are infused into our smart phones, it could be accessed at a more frequent basis, any time and any place. I’ve noticed in myself as well as others around me, the struggle to keep one’s attention in class; one’s either “surfing” the Web or on one’s phone. The reason for this constant need to check these applications is to fulfill this sense of boredom that has been developed if one’s attention is not actively entertained or in constant connection with other people (other than those one's with). This then leads to the use of different ways to keep one’s focus during times of pressure, i.e. Adderall. Adderall is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but many students who are not diagnosed with ADHD take it in order to study for an exam or write a paper the night before it’s due.

3. The data I’m going to collect will be on testing my hypothesis on college students from community college, California state schools, and Universities. I’ll see who has taken Adderall or any other substance to stay focus in school as well as other methods to keep from constantly being on one’s phone during social interactions. I’ll collect data on the number of times one checks these applications in school and in face-to-face interactions. I'll find during what types of interactions does one use the Internet.

4. I’m going to collect the data through online surveys that I’ll send via email and Facebook to friends and fellow classmates. I’ll also look through past research and studies that may have information supporting or opposing my hypothesis.

5. I’ll start to collect the data next week after I make the survey and then researching different data sources.

6. I’ll expect to find that many of these students do find themselves constantly distracted and gravitating towards the different applications on the Internet. Also, the Internet helps facilitate the need to physically hide one’s phone or laptop in order to keep one from using it as well as the use of substances i.e. Adderall, in order to keep one focused on school.

7. Possible difficulties I may encounter would be actually finding past research on my proposal and receiving an answer to the surveys I’ll make, or a substantial amount of returned responses. Also, I may not find a correlation between shorter attention span and the increase usage of the Internet