Facebook for old Ager?

I was reading somewhere that, In Atlanta, a shy quiet 14-year-old boy that I’ll call Katlay. he wasn’t particularly interested in talking to me, but he answered my questions diligently. he said that he was on both MySpace and Facebook, but quickly started talking about MySpace as the place where he gathered with his friends. At some point, I asked him if his friends also gathered on Facebook and his face took on a combination of puzzlement and horror before he exclaimed, “Facebook is for old people!” Of course, Mr. Kalyan still uses Facebook to communicate with his mother, aunt, cousins in Kentucky, and other family members.

Cross-town, I met up with Connor, a well-spoken 17-year-old who is more than comfortable in sharing his opinions with me. His manner of speaking and attitude means that he would’ve fit into Eckert’s “jock” category even though he plays no sport. In fact, Connor is more interested in gadgetry (Macs to be precise), but that no longer has the same geek ring as it once did. Connor tells me about how Facebook is the new thing that everyone is using and that, while he prefers MySpace, he now primarily logs into Facebook. His girlfriend deleted her MySpace profile and most of his friends now spend their time on Facebook. In fact, he can’t think of anyone at school who still actively uses MySpace. Connor is also aware of the presence of adults on Facebook. He messages with his mother and his youth pastor on Facebook and he waxes elegantly about how he thinks that Facebook is just as popular among adults as it is among teens. He believes that the reason that people switched to Facebook was because it was more “mature.”

Yet, there’s another important factor here. These teens come from very different demographics. Both teenagers are white and live in the deep south, but they are from different socioeconomic backgrounds and their public schools have quite different characters. Kaitlyn’s family income is near the median of Atlanta while Connor comes from a family that is better-off. Both have had many different opportunities afforded to them by loving and deeply involved parents. The biggest differences in their lives stem from their friend groups and the schools that they attend.

Connor was lamenting the presence of filters in his school (coupled with the sign in the computer lab that warned of punishment if anyone was caught on MySpace). I asked him why his school was strict and he responded by telling me that it was because they were the best school and they had standards. I asked him what made it the best school and he first started by saying that it was because they were strict and kept people in line, but then reverted course. He told me that in Atlanta, most schools are 60% or more black but his school was only 30% black. And then he noted that this was changing, almost with a sense of sadness. Katlay, on the other hand, was proud of the fact that his school was very racially diverse. He did complain that it was big, so big in fact that they had created separate “schools” (think: Harry Potter) and that he was in the school that was primarily for honors kids but that this meant that he didn’t see all of his friends all the time. But he valued the different types of people who attended. These differences are reflected in their friend groups – Connor’s friends are almost entirely white and well-off while at least half of Katlay’s friends are black and most of his friends are neither well-off nor poor.

Both Katlay and Connor follow the crowd when it comes to social media and their instincts reflect more than just their own beliefs; they reflect what is normative among their cohort.

So going back to the question of age and maturity – why do these dynamics of race and socioeconomic factors matter? One argument made about the differences between teens from wealthy and poor environments is that wealthy teens are much more likely to integrate with adults than teens from poorer backgrounds. (There are obviously exceptions on all sides.) Now, Connor is not exceedingly wealthy and Katlay is not poor, but I can’t help but wonder how much of what they’re reflecting is part of that more general trend.

Will Katlay begin to embrace adults alongside his peers in a few years? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Might their differences be simply a personality thing? Perhaps, but I saw these dynamics occur across many other pairings of teens with similar differences and similarities.

Regardless of whether or not this factor explains the differences between these teens, I can’t help but wonder the significance of teens’ willingness to interact with known adults on social network sites. There’s nothing worse than demanding that teens accept adults in their peer space, but there’s a lot to be said for teens who embrace adults there, especially non-custodial adults like youth pastors and “cool” teachers. I strongly believe that the healthiest environment we can create online is one where teens and trusted adults interact seamlessly. To the degree that this is not modeled elsewhere in society.

The Power of Sharing in Social Media!

I just wakeup and checked my blackberry my facebook page ohhhh so many more updates from friends family and pages for which I subscribed, as I go thourgh from almost all updates while I sleep last night, Is this happens with you everyday? are you also really in the charm of social media or it just me? I’d say this without any hesitation or guilt that I am obsessed with social media. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or even MSN messenger or Gtalk, I am there, I’m online and I am always ALWAYS connected. Hence my family and friends call me the ultimate social media freak. The pride is all mine!

While I was scrolling down the different posts, I came across a wonderful video. I watched it and instantly ‘Liked’ it so much that I decided to ‘Share’ with my friends, leaving a comment that this is a must watch video!

Just the other day, as I opened Facebook on my BlackBerry, my Homepage updated itself with the most recent posts including links, videos, photos, blog posts and status updates. While some of these updates were simply hilarious, others were quite informative and yet quite a few gave me an update on my friend’s activities.

In almost an hour 25 of my friends had ‘Shared’ the same video in their friend’s network. I wondered how this video had suddenly spread the message among so many people via sharing on Facebook.

Let’s hypothesize. If I have 200 friends on Facebook and I shared that video with all of  them, out of which 25 people ended up sharing that video among their friends, (let’s keep 150 as average number of friends each one of them might have) then the same video that I shared in my friends’ circle managed to get 3,750 views in about an hour.

(we all know the number in reality might have been far greater). This is the power of sharing in social media – the fastest and the least expensive (sometimes absolutely free) way to reach a large number of audience. I have to admit, it does get scary at times too.

The biggest concern of social media sharing is that anything and everything can be shared via social networks. However, the content (images, photos, videos, reviews) shared by people or companies will only spread if it appeals to either people at large aka the masses or a certain pseudo community who will spread the content within their own circle of friends having the same interest.

This is extremely tricky especially for big brands, celebrities or even well known people in their respective fields because if the ‘good word’ can spread like fire among their consumers, fans or followers, the ‘bad word’ will equally spread like a conflagration totally out of control.

Hence, social media sharing is no less than the ultimate power in the hands of the users/consumers to make or break a brand’s reputation in the online world. As the famous saying goes; “With great power comes great responsibility” hence, a word of advice for all the online users of this power, think twice before sharing anything in social media!

While yes, we are entitled to share our opinion, our likes and our dislikes with the rest of the world, let’s not forget that misuse of this power can lead to great damages to people and companies that sometimes can be irreparable.

The Role of Social Web Sites in Teenager's Life

“If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist” – Skyler, 18, to her mom1

“I'm in the 7th grade. I'm 13. I'm not a cheerleader. I'm not the president of the

student body. Or captain of the debate team. I'm not the prettiest girl in my class.

I'm not the most popular girl in my class. I'm just a kid. I'm a little shy. And it's

really hard in this school to impress people enough to be your friend if you're not any

of those things. But I go on these really great vacations with my parents between

Christmas and New Year's every year. And I take pictures of places we go. And I

write about those places. And I post this on my Xanga. Because I think if kids in

school read what I have to say and how I say it, they'll want to be my friend.” –

Vivien, 13, to Parry Aftab during a “Teen Angels” meeting2

During 2005, online social network sites like MySpace and Facebook became common

destinations for young people in the United States. Throughout the country, young

people were logging in, creating elaborate profiles, publicly articulating their

relationships with other participants, and writing extensive comments back and forth. By

early 2006, many considered participation on the key social network site, MySpace,

essential to being seen as cool at school. While not all teens are members of social

network sites, these sites developed significant cultural resonance amongst American

teens in a short period of time. Although the luster has since faded and teens are not

nearly as infatuated with these sites as they once were, they continue to be an important

part of teen social life.

The rapid adoption of social network sites by teenagers in the United States and in many

other countries around the world raises some important questions. Why do teenagers

flock to these sites? What are they expressing on them? How do these sites fit into their

lives? What are they learning from their participation? Are these online activities like

face-to-face friendships – or are they different, or complementary? The goal of this

chapter is to address these questions, and explore their implications for youth identities.

While particular systems may come and go, how youth engage through social network

sites today provides long-lasting insights into identity formation, status negotiation, and

peer-to-peer sociality. 

To address the aforementioned questions, I begin by documenting key features of social

network sites and the business decisions that lead to mass adoption, and then seek to

situate social network sites in a broader discussion of what I call “networked publics.” I

then examine how teens are modeling identity through social network profiles so that

they can write themselves and their community into being. Building on this, I investigate

how this process of articulated expression supports critical peer-based sociality because,

by allowing youth to hang out amongst their friends and classmates, social network sites

are providing teens with a space to work out identity and status, make sense of cultural

cues, and negotiate public life. I argue that social network sites are a type of networked

public with four properties that are not typically present in face-to-face public life:

persistence, searchability, exact copyability, and invisible audiences. These properties

fundamentally alter social dynamics, complicating the ways in which people interact. I

conclude by reflecting on the social developments that have prompted youth to seek out

networked publics, and considering the changing role that publics have in young people’s

lives.

Methodology and Demographics

The arguments made in this chapter are based on ethnographic data collected during my

two-year study of United States-based youth engagement with MySpace. 

In employing the term ethnography, I am primarily referencing the practices of “participant

observation” and “deep hanging out”3 alongside qualitative interviews. I have moved

between online and offline spaces, systematically observing, documenting, and talking to

young people about their practices and attitudes.

While the subjects of my interviews and direct observations are primarily urban youth

(ranging in age, sex, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, and socio-economic class), I have

also spent countless hours analyzing the profiles, blogs, and commentary of teenagers

throughout the United States. Although I have interviewed older people, the vast majority

of people that I have interviewed and observed are of high school age, living with a

parent or guardian. There is no good term to reference this group. Not all are actually

students (and that role signals identity material that is not accurate). Vague terms like

“youth,” “young people,” and “children” imply a much broader age range. For these

reasons, and in reference to the history of the term “teenager” in relation to compulsory

high school education4, I have consciously decided to label the relevant population

“teenagers” even though the majority of individuals that I have spoken with are 14-18.

While strictly speaking, there are non-high school age individuals in this category, the

vast majority of them are; I will focus primarily on that group. 

In examining the practices of teenagers on social network sites, I focus primarily on

MySpace. This will be my primary case study, although my discussion of these sites is

applicable more broadly; I will reference other sites as appropriate. I should note that

prior to studying teen practices on MySpace, I did a two-year ethnographic study of

Friendster, another social network site. While it is unlikely that MySpace will forever be 

the main destination site for teenagers, I use this site because its mass popularity offers

critical insight into participation patterns that do and will exist on other sites.

Although news media give the impression that all online teens in the United States are on

MySpace, this is not the case. For this reason, I want to take a moment to discuss who is

not participating. In 2004, PEW found that 87% of teenagers aged 12-17 have some level

of Internet access.5 In a study conducted in late 2006, they found that 55% of online teens

aged 12-17 have created profiles on social network sites with 64% of teens 15-17.6

While these numbers are most likely low7, it is very clear that not all high school students

participate in online communities that require public content creation like social network

sites.

Qualitatively, I have found that there are two types of non-participants: disenfranchised

teens and conscientious objectors. The former consists of those without Internet access,

those whose parents succeed in banning them from participation, and online teens who

primarily access the Internet through school and other public venues where social

network sites are banned.8 Conscientious objectors include politically minded teens who

wish to protest against Murdoch’s News Corp. (the corporate owner of MySpace),

obedient teens who have respected or agree with their parents’ moral or safety concerns,

marginalized teens who feel that social network sites are for the cool kids, and other teens

who feel as though they are too cool for these sites. The latter two explanations can be

boiled down to one explanation that I heard frequently: “because it’s stupid.” While the 

various conscientious objectors may deny participating, I have found that many of them

actually do have profiles to which they log in occasionally. I have also found numerous

cases where the friends of non-participants create profiles for them.9 Furthermore,

amongst those conscientious objectors who are genuinely non-participants, I have yet to

find one who does not have something to say about the sites, albeit typically something

negative. In essence, MySpace is the civil society of teenage culture: whether one is for

it or against it, everyone knows the site and has an opinion about it.

Interestingly, I have found that race and social class play little role in terms of access

beyond the aforementioned disenfranchised population. Poor urban black teens appear to

be just as likely to join the site as white teens from wealthier backgrounds - although

what they do on there has much to do with their level of Internet access. Those who only

access their accounts in schools use it primarily as an asynchronous communication tool,

while those with continuous nighttime access at home spend more time surfing the

network, modifying their profile, collecting friends, and talking to strangers. When it

comes to social network sites, there appears to be a far greater participatory divide than

an access divide.

Gender appears to influence participation on social network sites. Younger boys are

more likely to participate than younger girls (46% vs. 44%) but older girls are far more

likely to participate than older boys (70% vs. 57%). Older boys are twice as likely to use

the sites to flirt and slightly more likely to use the sites to meet new people than girls of

their age. Older girls are far more likely to use these sites to communicate with friends

they see in person than younger people or boys of their age.10 While gender differences 

do exist and should not be ignored, most of what I discuss in this article concerns

practices that are common to both boys and girls.

Fundamentally, this chapter is a case study based on ethnographic data. My primary goal

is simply to unveil some of the common ways in which teenagers now experience social

life online.

(MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning – Youth, Identity, and Digital

Media Volume (ed. David Buckingham). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Blogs vs Twitter? It’s the Interactivity

In a  post that appeared remarkably soon after my last post in which I noted that I am easier to find on Twitter than on Online Fandom these days, Rob Walker of Murketing and Buying In fame, expressed “Nostalgia for Blogs” and lamented:

I checked the Twitter feed and it was, of course, far less substantial than the blog had been. In fact I didn’t seen a single tweet of interest, whereas this person’s earlier blog posts had been, with some regularity, worth a look. If I don’t “follow” this person, I miss the possibility of some future interesting tweet — at least a link I would have missed, something.On the other hand, if I do follow, I clearly have to wade through a bunch of garbage. The signal-to-noise ratio will clearly be way worse than it had been on the now-dying blog. I’m interested in this person’s thinking — but I’m not that interested.

I wouldn’t want to presume he’s talking about me*, but either way, I’ve got some thoughts.

I agree with him that blogs are (sometimes) more substantial and I think reports of the death of blogs due to Twitter and Facebook are wrong. For me blogging has been a great way to collect and share thoughts on a particular issue, to collect ideas for future longer projects, and to create a public persona as an expert with something to say about the topics I know a lot about. I like to think the blog has been useful to people I wouldn’t otherwise get to communicate with. I’ve come into contact with many people, especially those on the ground addressing the issues I write about here, through this blog. Blogging has been and I hope it will continue to be great. It also takes a lot of time to get a post to what I want it to be before I post it.

But that said, I think Walker’s characterization misses the point on a few scores.

1) Twitter isn’t a substitute for blogging. Some people may choose to Twitter instead of blogging, but I wouldn’t assume that anyone has that kind of either/or relationship. A tweet is not meant to accomplish what a blog post is meant to accomplish. Neither’s killing the other, they aren’t in competition anymore than, oh, say writing books vs. writing a blog.

2) People like Twitterers’ minutia. In my case, though we’re not talking big numbers either way, more people follow me on Twitter than subscribe to this blog. One man’s garbage is another’s treasure, or entertainment, I guess. People — even smart thoughtful ones — actually LIKE the mix of links, random thoughts, and bits of daily life. They LIKE watching the person, not the topic. I know I do. I find Twitterers who stick to posts about their one professional interest boring. Other people love them, and more power to them. I don’t. IMHO, that’s what blogs are for. If you come to Twitter looking for ideas about a topic, you’re better off watching Twitter trends and searching keywords than following individuals; Twitter usually offers great topical coverage only in the aggregate.

3) Looking at a Twitter feed or profile isn’t the same as following someone on Twitter. People who don’t actually use Twitter think that you have to read all the tweets that are directed specifically @someoneelse.  If you follow from within a Twitter account, there’s a setting so you don’t have to watch that banter unless it’s between people you also follow. That changes the signal/noise ratio  a lot. Yes, there will still be tweets you don’t care about, but let’s be honest, can you name a single blogger who posts only posts you find interesting? I sure can’t.

4) Twitter is about banter. That banter is the best part. I’ve written this blog for a few years and I’ve talked to lots of bloggers. Getting people to post comments is hard. Getting conversation going is harder. The majority of things I write here get no response at all. On Twitter I don’t get responses to everything I say, but I sure get a lot more fast feedback than I do here. It’s also a lot easier to make a quick response to someone else — much more so than commenting on a blog post, especially if, like me, you read your blogs through an RSS reader. That back and forth makes me want to keep participating in Twitter. In comparison, blogging feels like a solitary endevour.

5) Twitter is temporal and cumulative. I made this mistake myself; it’s not until some time after you’ve decided to take Twitter seriously and made it part of the ritual of daily life that you really get it. If you check out someone’s feed, you can get a sense of whether they’re interesting to you, but it’s not until you live with someone’s tweets day in and day out that you know whether the rhythms and content of their messages are going to be rewarding or not. It’s not like a blog where you can read all the archives and get pretty much the full effect. On Twitter, it’s what happens interactively amongst the twitterers over the long haul in real time that makes it interesting.

6) Twitter is a great site for language play. The 140 character limit is a fun challenge for wordsmiths, and those who do it well are joys to read. As a genre, insamuch as it is a genre, the language of Twitter is just way more fun than the language of blogs.

7) Ugh. Can we just quit judging every new mode of communication that comes along and finding it wanting in comparison to the last one? Haven’t we been doing that for millenia? Don’t we always look back later and feel kind of silly?

Don’t like Twitter? Don’t use it! Disappointed someone’s blogging less? Encourage them to keep on blogging by letting them know how much you appreciate the volunteer work they do through blogging. But don’t be disappointed because people don’t twitter how you want them to blog. That just doesn’t make sense.