Saturday, February 9, 2008
Viewing American Class Divisions through Facebook and MySpace
Danah Boyd wrote this paper last summer about the apparent differences in the American teens who use the two leading social networking sites. It got a lot of press and stirred a lot of controversy. This is the link to the original paper which also contains links to the response to critiques.
The original paper is worth reading because, although it is actually limited to American teens, the apparent class distinctions between the two sites are worth thinking about. For all we know, in other countries and other age ranges the usage patterns may differ or even be reversed. Still, the overall notion that a social networking site might wind up with its own distinct demographics is scarcely a radical idea.
The question I have is that as the sites continue to grow, will these distinctions deepen or become less distinct.
The original paper is worth reading because, although it is actually limited to American teens, the apparent class distinctions between the two sites are worth thinking about. For all we know, in other countries and other age ranges the usage patterns may differ or even be reversed. Still, the overall notion that a social networking site might wind up with its own distinct demographics is scarcely a radical idea.
The question I have is that as the sites continue to grow, will these distinctions deepen or become less distinct.
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