University Experimentally Bans Facebook and Twitter

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
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University Experimentally Bans Facebook and Twitter



A Pennsylvania college hopes to remind students what it's like to be free from social networking.

Anybody that uses Facebook or Twitter knows of the addictive behavior it can promote, sometimes becoming a necessity of someone's daily (or hourly) life. Pennsylvania's Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is conducting an experiment to show students what it was like before social networking websites existed.

Provost Eric Darr is instituting a campus wide social media "blackout" that includes Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging. Kids are going to have to go back to passing notes in class and actually talking face to face if they want to communicate. I know, it's unheard of.

One student says that her main issue with the blackout is that she won't be able to find people anymore, because she uses Facebook and Twitter to "see where they're at." In other words, she won't be able to Facebook stalk for a week. Another student said that social media is a "24-hour thing" and he had to wean himself off of it just so he could sleep at night, even before the blackout, so he could definitely use a reminder of the old days.

Contrary to how this may seem, Darr isn't punishing students. He says this is an academic exercise and will have students write reflective essays about their experiences during the blackout. He wants students to become aware of the way they currently use technology, with social media in many cases now replacing previous means [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101380-Breaking-Up-the-Facebook-Way] of communication.

Though it'll probably be tough to keep students off of everything related to social networking, the college will at least block access through campus computers. The blackout will cease at the end of this week. Just like World of Warcraft [http://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Cataclysm-Pc/dp/B002I0HKIU] or any other activity, Facebook and Twitter can become addictive in excessive amounts, so maybe this experiment will help kids to realize that they don't need to be on it all the time.

Source: NPR [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129813420&ft=1&f=1019]

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Ren3004

In an unsuspicious cabin
Jul 22, 2009
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So, will those reflective essays be limited to 140 characters?
 

KEM10

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Oct 22, 2008
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I like the idea. I kind of wish our school did that when I was in it. Besides, free credit if you can push it hard enough.
 

Sixties Spidey

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Jan 24, 2008
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OH NOES! That means we would actually have to use Instant Messaging, or calling each other on the phone! Or worse yet, TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN PERSON! DUN DUN DUN

In all seriousness though, I suppose it would be a pretty good experiment, if only because the results would just be amusing on their own.
 

Krion_Vark

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Mar 25, 2010
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I actually think this a great idea. I actually posed a question like this back freshman year in High School 5 years ago now. What would happen if all technology as we know it stopped working? Needless to say my entire class called me retarded and basically called me blackout kid for the rest of the semester.
 

Distorted Stu

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Sep 22, 2009
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I think i would last a long time without social media. If you cut off my phone however, i would die inside.
 

GrinningManiac

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Jun 11, 2009
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Interesting

I never get involved in social things like this. I lack the patience and have too much of the Complusive Obsession tendencies to stick around on a website chatting to braindead muppets I spent all day chatting to face-to-face
 

Sixties Spidey

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Jan 24, 2008
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Krion_Vark said:
I actually think this a great idea. I actually posed a question like this back freshman year in High School 5 years ago now. What would happen if all technology as we know it stopped working? Needless to say my entire class called me retarded and basically called me blackout kid for the rest of the semester.
Think about it this way. At least Blackout Kid sounds like a fucking awesome superhero. ;)
 

Unrulyhandbag

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Oct 21, 2009
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buy teh haloz said:
Krion_Vark said:
I actually think this a great idea. I actually posed a question like this back freshman year in High School 5 years ago now. What would happen if all technology as we know it stopped working? Needless to say my entire class called me retarded and basically called me blackout kid for the rest of the semester.
Think about it this way. At least Blackout Kid sounds like a fucking awesome superhero. ;)
or like a forties london child holding out through the blitz.
 

Nincompoop

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May 24, 2009
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Would the Escapist count in the blackout? If so, not that big of a deal, if not, wouldn't affect me at all. The only form of social website I use is Youtube and the Escapist. And I hardly ever use Youtube as a social site.

My friend often jokes and says; "You, and a few Zulu Africans, are the only ones who do not have Facebook".
 

SnootyEnglishman

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May 26, 2009
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Well i can see this doing some good. It will makes some people realize just how much Facebook and Twitter control themselves.

On second thought that's a great idea...why didn't i think of that I could be ruler of the world that much faster.
 

mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
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Good idea. Let's have the whole world follow suit, preferably permanently.

Or at the very least, get these fucking "facebook like" buttons off of every single web page.
 

Dexiro

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Dec 23, 2009
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I'd love it for that to happen. Banning social networking sites would just be plain hilarious, and it wouldn't affect me at all.

And while instant messaging is useful it'd be nice to have people talking to each other in person for once rather than typing away forever.
 

Sixties Spidey

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Jan 24, 2008
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cursedseishi said:
buy teh haloz said:
OH NOES! That means we would actually have to use Instant Messaging, or calling each other on the phone! Or worse yet, TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN PERSON! DUN DUN DUN

In all seriousness though, I suppose it would be a pretty good experiment, if only because the results would just be amusing on their own.
Actually they banned instant messaging too.

And really, it depends. What if you have family whose serving in the military you keep contact through facebook or twitter? This would be rather cruel if it was a sudden thing without warning, which I'm sure is not the case, but still. I hate facebook and twitter, but I am also not the type to demonize it (Facebook does that well enough on its own!) and ignore some of the obvious helpful things it provides as well.

Hell I wish my state would institute a ban on Facebook though, I'd love to see my sisters squirm, heh...
Yeah, I suppose you have a point. I assume they won't be sending out a warning to see how they will react, but given a warning would kinda ruin the purpose of the experiment, right?

Well, it's not going to stop them from using their BlackBerries and BBM. Or for that matter, texting each other inspite of the fact that they're in close proximity to each other and IN THE SAME FUCKING ROOM!
 

LaBambaMan

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Jul 13, 2009
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I 100% support this. It's hard as hell to manage to get a computer in the library on campus because everyone's on them playing facebook games.

I do, however, believe that Twitter should be deemed illegal by federal law and those responsable for unleashing it hanged for treason outside the Captial building in D.C.
 

Discord

Monk of Tranquility
Nov 1, 2009
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Hmmmm I wonder if it would lead to more people trying face to face communication more or would it lead to a better apprection of who or hwta they had on Facebook and Such? Would it inspire new thought on how reliant we are on technology and social network sites to remain; social? Or Not?

Hmmmm very intresting story though.