Stereotyping Facebook & Myspace
Written by Pablo Palatnik on June 26, 2007
“Danah Boyd, one of the most incisive researchers looking at societies on the web, has come up with a paper on the class structures of Facebook and MySpace. In essence, she says good middle class kids use Facebook, while the working classes use MySpace,†reports Bobbie Johnson. This report is actually getting a good amount of attention from the online media.
While it is interesting and I guess it’s something new to many people, the report doesn’t really tell us (atleast myself as an internet marketer, and she probably didn’t write it for us) anything new about the class divide and demographic with the social communities that make up Myspace & Facebook.
Here is the one major factor. FACEBOOK WAS CREATED FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS. Only recently has Facebook opened its doors to the general public to sign up. Give Facebook another year or so, watch the demographic become more Myspace-like.
“MySpace is about teenage rebellion; ugliness and defiantly folded arms. Facebook is much more popular among those of college age and older - it’s more grown up, and looking at it isn’t like pouring acid into your eyeballs… MySpace is still home for Latino/Hispanic teens, immigrant teens, “burnouts,” “alternative kids,” “art fags,” punks, emos, goths, gangstas, queer kids, and other kids who didn’t play into the dominant high school popularity paradigm. These are kids whose parents didn’t go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school,†says Johnson.
CAN YOU SAY… STEREOTYPE? There are literally MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of Myspace registered users, and that’s her demographic analysis of its users? Yes, that description fits part of what is the Myspace community, maybe a large part, maybe a small part…I can’t say for sure but the one thing about Myspace is that there’s no one set demographic…Myspace was the first online community to bring people of all cultures, race, and countries together.
Read More On This Story:
The class divide between Facebook and MySpace -Guardian Unlimited, UK
New study shows that perhaps Myspace really is for losers, after all -Shiny Media
Social sites reveal class divide -BBC News
Random Posts
Posted in: Social Media
2 Responses to “Stereotyping Facebook & Myspace”
I agree with you Pablo. I read that report, and I agree that there is a lot of stereotyping going on in it. I also got the impression that it wasn’t very well researched.
It’s tough to place a finger on it, but something about that report just didn’t feel “right” to me. Given the fact that other reports have claimed that as many as 40% of MySpace users are between the ages of 35-54, I’m not sure how well researched it was.
MySpace is a mish-mash of all kinds of people. Sure, there are all of those people mentioned in the report, but that are also businesses, professionals, college kids, comedians, grandparents…
I also tend to agree with you that Facebook’s demographic will likely become very similar to MySpace in another year or two, after the general public has had more time to adopt it.
By Adam Snider on Jun 29, 2007
Adam- I also read A recent study that showed as well that the average Myspace user is about 34 yrs old.
Funny thing is no one really argued the research but just went along with it.
By Pablo Palatnik on Jun 29, 2007