[Air-L] Food updates

[Stephanie Laudone]

Hi all, 

I've really enjoyed this discussion and though I'm usually just a lurker, I felt compelled to contribute here particularly in regards to managing multiple identities on Facebook. I have actually just completed data collection for my dissertation which looks at the ways in which users create, present and manage online identities on FB. I conducted interviews with college students and adult community members (35+) to see the way age organizes FB experiences and management of identity. Though I'm still going through the data, much of what I've found so far is consistent with what has been posted here. 

-College students experience FB and online identities in a much more modern way than do adults. College students create and manage their identities toward one general audience of friends and don't spend time actively managing multiple identities. College students seem to experience a much more singular aspect of identity on FB. They worry less about the convergence of different social groups and identities on their FB page, mostly because the basis of their identity (as they describe and experience it) is college and all things associated with college. 


-Adults are much more likely (as mentioned) to spend a significant amount of time managing multiple identities, in a number of ways (privacy settings, group memberships, multiple accounts). One of the reasons for the difference in experiences is that adults 35+ claim membership and social identities in more than one group or community (high school friends, college friends, work friends, community friends), which come together on one FB profile. 


I'm still in the process of analyzing the data, and also uncovering some interesting findings about gender and race, but haven't yet completely formalized my ideas on those themes. While this conversation certainly helps to inform some of my thinking, I have not yet seen much formal research on this topic (beyond theoretical lit on modern/postmodern identities). Any citations or sources would be greatly appreciated! 

Best, 
Stephanie 

_______________________ 
Stephanie Laudone, MA 
Ph.D. Candidate 
Dept. of Sociology 
Fordham University 
Laudone at fordham.edu