Study tries to pin down MySpace, Facebook class structure
Don Day August 6th, 2007
For young people, the burning question of our time is “Facebook or MySpace?”
While Newsweek probably oversold that lead - the latest issue of the magazine has an interesting piece that focuses in on a Berkeley researcher’s recent non-scientific study that tried to pin down the types of people that favor the top two social networking sites. The findings? Facebook caters to the preppies and the jocks… MySpace attracts the “outside” crowd. MySpace founder Chris DeWolfe had a nice arrow in his quiver: “How are you going to put 70 million people in a box?” Newsweek’s Steven Levy says Facebook wouldn’t comment - “turning down my request as abruptly as a cheerleader nixes a nerd’s prom invite. “
4 Comments Add your own
1. Dave | August 7th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Haha… That sounds like Newsweek. Everything they write about is the “defining topic of our times”. Yea, thanks New York, white, rich people for determining that. I love how they write like they’re somehow relevant… Nevermind the fact we were asking the Facebook v Myspace question two years ago.
It’s probably easier to say, young people sign on to the site that most of their real-world friends are on. And if their real-world friends are like them (nerd, prep, jock, nuts), it’s no wonder you have specific groups on myspace and facebook.
2. Lisa | August 7th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
The commenting regarding the study is a bit misleading. The woman performing the study focused primarily on the teen generation and why they choose the social networking sites they choose. It’s a 26 page document but a very interesting read. Go to http://www.danah.org. It’s the first or second of her writings in that section.
Personally, I’m a “MySpacer” and I’m 37, married, with two cats & a dog. I love it! It helps me to keep in touch witih my friends and family. I update my site frequently and it IS set to “private” for that purpose.
Anyway…go read Danah’s works. She’s very interesting.
3. Tish Grier | August 7th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Geeks and Freaks always separate themselves from Jocks and Preps–and danah boyd’s reporton how it’s going on in social networking is fabulous. But if we’d been following both MySpace and Facebook, it would be easy to see how and why the differences come about. It doesn’t take scientific studies to tell us what all of us have known across generations of high schoolers and ivy leaguers. Some things don’t change–even if the technology does.
4. Katastrofik | August 14th, 2007 at 5:36 am
Myspace Attracts The “Outside Crowd”? LOL
Does Facebook Have Artist Accounts? NO!
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