Facebook is the preferred landing spot for sleep-deprived students, according to a new study which found a direct connection between chronic fatigue, crankiness and greater reliance on social media browsing.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine demonstrated that lack of sleep - in addition to affecting busy college students' moods and productivity - leads to more frequent online activities such as browsing Facebook.
"When you get less sleep, you're more prone to distraction," said lead researcher Gloria Mark, a UCI informatics professor.
"If you're being distracted, what do you do? You go to Facebook. It's lightweight, it's easy, and you're tired," said Mark.
Sleep deprivation can lead to loss of productivity throughout the economy. It can cause workplace mishaps and make drivers fall asleep at the wheel.
Experts in the field of human-computer interaction want to know how sleep loss impacts people so they can design better technologies and products.
"There have been lots of studies on how information technology affects sleep. We did the opposite: We looked at how sleep duration influences IT usage," said Mark.
She and her colleagues collected data from 76 undergraduates - 34 males and 42 females - for seven days during the spring 2014 quarter.
The study controlled for students' gender, age, course load and deadlines and relied on sensors to objectively gauge their behaviour, activities and stress levels.
Students' computers and smartphones were equipped with logging software, and time stamps recorded when subjects switched from one application window to another and when they spoke on the phone or texted.
They were asked to fill out a sleep survey each morning and an end-of-day survey at night.
Participants also filled out a general questionnaire and sat for an exit interview. Periodically throughout the week, they received probing questions from researchers regarding their mood, the perceived difficulty of whatever task was at hand, and their level of engagement in their work.
Central to the study was a concept known as "sleep debt," the accumulated difference between the amount of sleep needed and the amount experienced.
Mark said the study's findings show a direct connection among chronic lack of sleep, worsening mood and greater reliance on Facebook browsing.
She also found that the less sleep people have, the more frequently their attention shifts among different computer screens, suggesting heightened distractibility.
Based on profiles linked to an existing social media
account, users are required to 'Nominate' individuals they would like to travel with, while hoping to be 'Nominated' themselves, by others. They must ensure their profile is interesting enough, in order to receive enough nominations to be selected for a trip. As a networking platform, Sociotrips encourages real world engagement instead of virtual interactions through Chats, IM's, etc.
The mastermind behind this inspired concept is Bangalore's own Shakeeb Ahmed. His successful spell overseas, in the Investment Banking industry, sparked the initial wanderlust that lead him into the travel industry. His keen acumen to identify opportunities in diverse businesses, supported by an equally meticulous approach to applying out-of-the-box strategies, has helped him show tremendous results in areas where many have feared to tread.
Today, with 5 years of industry experience in hand, and a never-before-seen idea up his sleeve, Shakeeb Ahmed is ready to provide those in search of real-time social networking and travel with the trend-setting app that they've been long-waiting for - Sociotrips.
Recounting his own experiences, the founder remembers the difficulty in coordinating a simple vacation with family and friends; or the unsatisfactory fellow-travellers that one is forced to share a group travel package with; or the exorbitant expenses faced when trying to travel independently as a solo traveller.
