[Air-l] air-l Digest, Vol 35, Issue 17

[Ellen Helsper]

Lauren Squires wrote:
>>
"If you don't belong to some kind of social network, you soon may not belong
anywhere."  ... I'm not even sure what this is supposed to mean other than being
a dramatic sell for social network sites, but the implication is obviously that
if you're not part of an ONLINE social network, you'll have no reason to be
online at all; or, you'll have no social life?  But we all have social networks
that aren't contingent on broadband, yes? That emerge via neighborhoods,
schools, workplaces, hobbies, travel.....  Anyway, this usage got my goat, for
whatever reason.
>>

In the research that I have done with teenagers (interviews, surveys and
observation/experiments) it seemed that online social networking on sites like
Facebook and MySpace is very much an extension of offline social networks. Most
the good and nasty things that happen in the 'Real World' are replicated online:
bullying, flirting, gossip, hanging out, and yes, even homework (and cheating).
 These young people were very aware that what they put on their online social
networks would spread rapidly to their offline social networks which might have
all kinds of undesirable consequences. I guess this is strongly related to the
'path dependency' mentioned by Barry Wellman in another posting to this list. 

It might therefore be the case that without an offline social network you have
no chance of getting a true online social network. Both seemed to reinforce
eachother in the research that I have done. I have less (research) experience
with those over 25 but from, admittedly anecdotal, experience I would say that
this is pretty much true for older online social networkers to. My question
would be: Are adults using 'new' media to continue 'old boys networks'? Is it
all same old, same old or is there really evidence that people break out of the
mould of offline social networks and start completely new and different networks
online.

Best,
Ellen

_______________________________________________________________________________
Ellen J Helsper
Research Fellow
Oxford Internet Institute
University of Oxford
1 St Giles
Oxford OX1 3JS

Tel: +44 (0)1865 287229 
Fax: +44 (0)1865 287211
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/microsites/oxis/