By Megan Deist

When an individual walks in the halls or into any classroom of Audubon High School, he or she will find some sort of electronic device being used. Whether it is a student’s iPhone or laptop, the devices are there. With that comes social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Are these outlets a good thing or a bad thing?
When ten random students at AHS were asked if they liked social media, 80% of them agreed they did. Some reasons these students enjoy social media are that it provides an easy way to connect with family, friends, and like-minded people.
However, with every good thing comes something negative. Social media can limit actual human interaction and affect productivity. Being productive with social media seems to be hard. According to Procon.org, students who used social networking sites had an average GPA of 3.06, compared to non-using student’s GPA of 3.82.
Many students, including the students in the poll, hesitated in answering if they truly liked social media or not. Janie Magner wasn’t hesitant to express her opinion; she feels social media has taken over people’s lives. “I think everyone is so overwhelmed with that fact that everyone has to have the latest technology…. And you have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where you’re posting all your feelings on, people make rude comments on some, and sometimes you have to leave that stuff off the computer.”
One of the tech directors, Lynn Spies, admitted social media “is a good thing as long as it is not abused and used in the right way. Social media can always be followed and traced and students need to be aware of what they are posting.”
When ten random students at AHS were asked if they liked social media, 80% of them agreed they did. Some reasons these students enjoy social media are that it provides an easy way to connect with family, friends, and like-minded people.
However, with every good thing comes something negative. Social media can limit actual human interaction and affect productivity. Being productive with social media seems to be hard. According to Procon.org, students who used social networking sites had an average GPA of 3.06, compared to non-using student’s GPA of 3.82.
Many students, including the students in the poll, hesitated in answering if they truly liked social media or not. Janie Magner wasn’t hesitant to express her opinion; she feels social media has taken over people’s lives. “I think everyone is so overwhelmed with that fact that everyone has to have the latest technology…. And you have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where you’re posting all your feelings on, people make rude comments on some, and sometimes you have to leave that stuff off the computer.”
One of the tech directors, Lynn Spies, admitted social media “is a good thing as long as it is not abused and used in the right way. Social media can always be followed and traced and students need to be aware of what they are posting.”