HARRISBURG (Pennsylvania) It is perhaps inevitable given the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter that the number of places blocking access to them is also growing. Burma, China, Iran, Harrisburg in Pennsylvania, the roll-call goes on and on.

Harrisburg in Pennsylvania? Can that be true? Can a town better known for its steel industry and agriculture than for internet censorship really have joined the list? For the past week the private Harrisburg University has instigated what it calls a “blackout” of all social networking sites. It has removed from its central server the channels that pipe social media, cutting off access to Twitter and Facebook, instant messaging services and video chat through Skype.

To be fair to the university, its action cannot be equated to those of the Burmese military junta or the ayatollahs of Iran. This is, after all, a modern science and technology college, opened to students five years ago, that offers specialist courses in use of the internet.

Rather, the idea was to undertake an experiment to find out what impact social media and multitasking were having on college life. It was dreamed up by the provost, Eric Darr, who became intrigued when he observed his 16-year-old daughter at home one night. “She had Facebook open on her laptop, was listening to music on iTunes, had apps open on her iPhone and three different conversations going on instant messaging - all simultaneously,” he said. “It struck me how overpowering all this was, not in a negative way, and it made me wonder what would happen if all that wasn't there.”

On Monday the university closed channels to the networking sites so no access could be gained via the university's central wireless system. The reaction of the 800 or so students ranged from curious to puzzled to outraged.

Darr was in the room when one student moaned that without Facebook on his laptop in class he didn't know what to do. Darr said “I was standing right there, and said to him there's always the novel idea of paying attention to your professor.” Alexis Rivera, an 18-year-old student of internet security, said she had been surprised by the effect of being deprived of instant messaging and Facebook. “It's a lot better,” she said. “I can pay attention much better now.”

As it is a laptop university, students have computers open at most lectures. In an average class, Rivera would have AOL, Yahoo, MSN and Skype instant messaging running, with up to seven chats going at the same time. “Normally I'd be chatting to other people in the class about how boring it was,” she said. This week she has found herself taking more notes and following the tutor with greater understanding. She has been doing more homework, as in the past she missed assignments because she was so busy messaging she didn't hear them. And she's also become more outgoing. “I'm a lot more social,” she said. “I talk to a lot more people, face to face, rather than sitting there typing away.”

Others have been less enthusiastic. Several of the college's computer geeks have rerouted internet access through Canada or Norway or used proxy websites to break through the firewall. Some students have nipped to the nearby Hilton hotel to use its wireless access.

Giovanni Acosta, 21, knows how to overcome the blackout but decided against it, as he wanted to see the outcome of the experiment. At first he said he was twitchy. “I had to log on to Facebook even though I knew it was blocked, and I did that every 10 minutes or so, again and again,” he said. “But now the itch has gone. I've learnt how much I was being distracted.” —Dawn/The Guardian News Service

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