[Air-L] Facebook abstainers and refuseniks

[McLaughlin, Lisa M. Dr.]

This is just an idea, but it may be interesting to look into the reaction,
often hostile, that greets those of us who don't use Facebook. I teach a
course that highlights new ICT/social media and I often am asked how I can
teach such a course without ever having had a Facebook page (or tweeted!).
My rote, however simplistic, response usually is that I don't have a
Facebook page because I *do* teach a course that focuses on social media,
and my tendency to be a cautious consumer now is on full display.

Still, one thing that intrigues me is that the majority of individuals with
whom I have such conversations seem to range from their being annoyed to
angry upon learning that I don't have a Facebook page. I recently recovered
from a serious illness, and one reaction that surprised me was that I often
was pressed to get a Facebook page so that I could share "my progress" with
"friends" and "family."

In fact, my feeling is that I wished to protect my privacy (and continue to
feel this way), and I had to beg my siblings to not post "updates" on "my
progress" on their own Facebook pages.

I have begun to think about the refusal to have a Facebook page as something
interpreted as a form of rebellion (however slight compared to Tiananmen
Square) or transgression with the result that many folks feel that they must
discipline and punish. My question: Why is this happening? Worded
differently, this may be a good research question.

Best,

Lisa

-- 
Lisa McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Mass Communication & Program in Women¹s, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies
Co-editor, Feminist Media Studies
Miami University-Ohio

Contact:
Mass Communication 
Williams Hall
Miami University-Ohio
Oxford, Ohio 45056
USA
Tele: 513-529-3547
Fax: 513-529-1835
Email: mclauglm at muohio.edu




On 10/6/12 5:26 AM, "Nicholas John" <nicholas.john at mail.huji.ac.il> wrote:

> Hello Researchers of the Internet
> I wonder if anyone knows of any studies of people who *don't* use Facebook
> as a matter of choice?
> I'm doing a study of my own and want to make sure I've got the background
> literature covered.
> Thanks in advance,
> Nicholas
> _______________
> Dr. Nicholas John
> sociothink.com
> share.sociothink.com
> @nicholasajohn
> Latest article: Sharing and Web 2.0: The emergence of a
> keyword<http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/07/03/1461444812450684>,
> New Media & Society
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