[Air-L] Facebook abstainers and refuseniks

[William Dutton]

An issue tied to not using FB or social media in general is that experience with the Internet shapes beliefs and attitudes about the technology, such as trust. It is what I have called an 'experience technology', and social media, sort of an experience 2.0 technology. Those most concerned over the Internet and social media are non-users.  See: Dutton, W. H., and Shepherd, A. (2006), ‘Trust in the Internet as an Experience Technology’, Information, Communication and Society, 9(4): 433-51. That said, I am sympathetic, as I attempted to avoid having a TV in my home for years, but received many TVs as gifts. 

On 7 Oct 2012, at 04:05, McLaughlin, Lisa M. Dr. wrote:

> 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 Women’s, 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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William H. Dutton
Professor of Internet Studies
Oxford Internet Institute
University of Oxford 
1 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3JS  
UNITED KINGDOM

Tel +44 (0)1865 287 210
Fax +44 (0)1865 287 211
Cell +44 (0)7768 823906
Web: http://people.oii.ox.ac.uk/dutton/about/
You can access my papers on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at: http://ssrn.com/author=478025
Forthcoming: The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199589074.do