In his article, “Can she go a month without Facebook,” the Charlotte Observer‘s Eric Frazier chronicles the quest of a Rock Hill mother who bet her daughter $300 to go a  month without Facebook. Why? So the daughter can focus on her studies at the University of South Carolina – Upstate.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

Asked how many Facebook friends she has, (Alyssa) answered: “I would say, like, 900. Not too many.”

Her mom, with just 40 Facebook friends, said she got on the network solely because she wanted to keep up with her children on it. Her idea for the $300 challenge came from her own past. As a busy mom trying to raise children, she once swore off TV and gained extra time to get things done…

John McArthur, a communications professor at Queens University of Charlotte, said everybody seeks friendship and relationships, and Facebook is just a new tool for doing so.

“Spending time on social media isn’t a bad thing, but the dangers of over-sharing are many,” he said. “Our responsibility is to make smart choices about what we share and when.” (read more)

According to the article, the bet will end on October 19, 2010.