Harbinger the
ISSUE 9 SHAWNEE MISSION EAST PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS JAN. 24, 2011 SMEHARBINGER.NET
THE
ASSAULT
ON PRODUCTIVITY
Increasing use of social media hampers efficiency of students
AndrewGoble Over the last two years, social media and networking websites have emerged as the dominant force on the internet. According to a Nielsen Media Research study in June 2010, almost 25 percent of time on the internet is now spent on social networking web sites— a 43 percent increase from just a year before. Facebook alone reports that it now has 500 million active users, 50 percent of whom log in every day.
Former East debater and journalist passes away of long-term disease
p. 3-4
As social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter gain popularity, they also are becoming increasingly more dangerous ways to procrastinate while trying to do homework. In a survey of 102 students at East , 57 percent listed that social media has made them less productive and 30 percent listed, “Yes, but it just replaced other forms of entertainment.” A Nucleus Research study found companies who al-
E-readers are being used more often by East students
p. 7
low their employees to use Facebook lost about 1.5 percent in productivity, while an Ohio State study found that students who used Facebook studied less and had worse grades. Larry Long, Jr., Ph.D, Senior Director of Counseling and Educational Support Services at the University of Kansas, says that part of the issue is that people overestimate how good they are at multitasking. Continued on page 2
Student starts local charity making toys for pets
p. 12
Take a look inside Natasha’s Mulberry and Mott bakery
If anybody should have, if anybody had a right to give up hope, it was her. She never gave up hope. It’s what fueled her.”
p. 22
Marsha Gribble p. 3-4