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June 26, 2007

A new study suggests that a sharp division exists among some American teenagers visiting social networking sites. Overall, members of FaceBook and MySpace are equally divided by the type of music they prefer, according to the survey.

This division is just another way in which technology is mirroring societal values.

The research reveals those using Facebook come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college and university.

Contrasting with this, MySpace users tend to get a job after finishing high school rather than continue their education.

The study's conclusions are based on interviews done with teenage users of the social networking sites by PhD student Danah Boyd from the School of Information Sciences at UC Berkeley.

Ms Boyd said defining class in the U.S. was difficult since, unlike many other nations, it did not map directly to income. Instead, she said class in the United States was more about social life and networking - how people define themselves and who they define themselves with.

Boyd added that "overall, social networks are strongly connected to geography, race and religion. These are also big factors in lifestyle divisions and thus class." Ms Boyd found Facebook users tend to be white and come from families who are keen for children to get the most out of school and go on to college.

Characterising Facebook users Boyd said "they are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities." By contrast, the average MySpace teenager tends to come from families where parents didn't go to college for the most part, Boyd added.

She also found far more teens from immigrant, Latino and Hispanic families on MySpace as well as many others who aren't part of the dominant high school popularity paradigm.

Boyd said "overall, MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracised at school because they are geeks."

On average, teenage users of both sides have fairly strong opinions about the social network they do not use, she noted. However, Ms Boyd was wary of drawing too many conclusions from her research and calling Myspace "bad" or Facebook "good" or condemning social networks in any way.

Boyd said "this division (on the 2 sides) is just another way in which technology is mirroring societal values. Teens are using social network sites to build community and connect with their peers. Through social networking sites, they are showcasing all of the good, the bad and the ugly of today's teen life."

"In a certain way, social networking sites are helping teenagers cope with the stresses of 21st Century life," said Ms Boyd.

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Source: The BBC