Quinn Cohane
Sociology 022 – In the Facebook Age – Spring 2010 – Dhiraj Murthy

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/fashion/weddings/28vows.html?scp=2&sq=vows&st=cse

This article from Sunday’s New York Times tells the story of how Arundathi Jayatilleke and Michael Gelfand met. They met at Yale and became friends through their shared interest in carillon playing. They were both too shy to take their relationship to the next level, but Jayatilleke sensed that there was something there. She IMed her friend and described her situation with Gelfand- and sent it to him by accident. She realized her mistake and IMed the same friend to ask how to fix it- and sent it to Gelfand again. Gelfand and Jayatilleke met up, fell in love and are now married. Will this situation become a common “How did you meet?” answer in the 21st century?

WHAT IS A FACEBOOK INDEX?
The Facebook Index (commonly referred to as “FI”, “Findex” or simply, “The Index”) is the only formula to determine one’s level of coolness.

WHO CAME UP WITH IT?
The formula has been driven by Willie Candell and Aaron Newman.

SO, HOW CAN I FIND MINE?
The formula is as follows:
FE = Pictures + .9(Videos) + .85(Wall Posts) + .32(Friends) + .09(Bumper Stickers)

WHAT’S A “GOOD INDEX?”
The average Facebook Index (nationally) is about 1155, so if you have anything higher than that you’re doing great!

I’M NOT HAPPY WITH MY INDEX. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
You can always improve it! Take more pictures/videos, friend more people, and write on more people’s walls!

The Witte and Mannon reading mentions that in following chapters, they will be evaluating the social inequality created by the Internet through different sociological perspectives. One of the perspectives, the cultural perspective, “turns out attention to questions of status and lifestyle, framing Internet use as a kind of status marker that sets apart a high status, professional class from a low status, common class. Here, daily Internet use across a broad spectrum of activities constitutes a middle-class lifestyle” (Witte and Mannon 2010, p. 51). I would like to examine some of their findings based on the Pew Internet & American Life Project through this cultural perspective.

The study found that “Internet use continues to be correlated with level of education… only 40 percent of those without a high school degree had ever been online in 2007, compared with over 90 percent of those with at least a bachelor’s degree” (p. 31). It is well known that college graduates are likely to make more money and be more successful in their careers. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, you are already set up to have a higher status because you have more career opportunities available. In order to fit in with that status and continue that image, those with bachelor’s degrees want to be using the most up-to-date and hip tool- the Internet. Those without lower levels of education are not pressured to fit in with this higher status- they are already looked down upon. Internet use is not their primary concern.

The researchers also found that “In 2007, 93 percent of those in the wealthiest households had ever been online, compared with 45 percent of those in the poorest households” (p. 35). Once again, it is not surprising that the high status and wealthiest people were more likely to be using the Internet. For those trying to maintain an important image, always having access to the “next big thing” is crucial. The Internet is is home to multiple sources of “next big things”. There are new websites that only the coolest of the cool know about, access to applications that completely computerize daily activities, and links to company sites that offer the most exciting new products. Maintaining an image costs money, and the wealthy have the resources at hand to keep up with technology.

The study found numerous other examples showing that those with elite status were more likely to use the Internet. They can pay for the necessary tools and are concerned with being cutting-edge. While this mindset brings part of the population into the online world, it leaves the majority out. Pippa Norris’s article looked at the digital divide as seen in the social divide, or “the gap between information rich and poor in each nation” (Norris 2000, p. 273). As expected, this gap is increasing. The information rich have access to more opportunities and are not focused on equally dividing them between the population. However, there is hope that this gap will eventually decrease. Different critics of the digital divide are able to hesitantly agree that “the digital divide will eventually succumb to the combined forces of technological innovations, markets and the state” (p. 278). Eventually, everyone will have some sort of access to the Internet. There will still be differences in how fast one’s Internet connectivity is or how fancy one’s computer is, but for now the most important goal is getting everyone online.

Broad measures are already being taken to introduce more people to the Internet. Norris’s article mentioned that “governments in Finland, Germany, Canada and Sweden have all announced programs to address access inequalities, often blending private and public resources. The British government has established a network of city learning centers, introduced a scheme to distribute re-conditioned computers to homes in poor neighborhoods, and developed a national grid  linking all public libraries to the Internet” (p. 278). The issue of those with high status versus those with low status in regard to Internet use will not disappear overnight, but there have already been significant steps made to equalize everyone as soon as possible.

The couple has real life conversations about what’s happening between them on the Internet. She seems to base her opinions on what comments she receives.

“Privacy is a modern invention… People must choose to give up privacy in order to have community and connections.”- has it really come down to individualism vs. community?  I think they can co-exist.

It’s interesting that House and friends have chosen speed-dating instead of an online dating website- they represent the older, traditional generation.

“You realize you’re in the same room.”- The blogger doesn’t even have real relationships with her friends- they only communicate through the Internet.

“You can’t convey a tone of voice in writing.”- I agree. You never really know the writer’s intentions or how they wanted the sentence to sound.

“Everything is on the record, including everything I do.”- I like the idea of being able to read your own history, but there has to be a line drawn between constantly recording what’s happening in your life and actually living it.

“Just because you haven’t met someone physically doesn’t mean you don’t know them.”- Maybe real relationships can be formed on the Internet- one of Frankie’s readers in Singapore wanted to donate a kidney.

“Sometimes it’s easier to open up to people that aren’t looking at you.”- I do agree with this.

She wants to get feedback on which valve she should choose by blogging about it- This is an example of how addicted she is. This is a very personal decision and shouldn’t be left to a vote.

“You’ve turned our lives into their entertainment..”- I think he should just break up with her. They clearly have different beliefs about the necessity of online contact.

“I hate that you don’t have a blog. I hate that I don’t know what you’re thinking.”- Seriously? Her social skills have seriously deteriorated if she can’t have a normal “How are you feeling” conversation.

I think House represents the older generation, but he is using the tools of the newer generation (the patient’s blog) to diagnose.

http://gawker.com/5484829/13-intimate-facebook-messages-you-werent-supposed-to-see

“Last week, a routine Facebook code update sent hundreds of private messages to the wrong recipients, illustrating the outsized impact of a simple programming bug.”

These are some of the misdirected messages.

This post is not actually about my bowling abilities. Instead, I will be attempting to apply the study described in the “Bowling Online” article by Steinfeld, et al. to my own experience with an internal social network. I have recently started working for Her Campus, an online magazine for collegiate women. As an member of the Her Campus team, I am part of the official “Google group”, which allows all team members to communicate with one another. I am also part of the Her Campus network on Facebook, which requires having an @hercampus.com email address. I have only been a part of Her Campus for three weeks, which is less than the six week mark used in the Steinfeld et al. study, but I will describe my experience so far using the five dimensions of social capital scales.

Bonding Social Capital: Am I able to find emotional and other types of support through my ties with Her Campus?

I have really only been in close contact with two other Her Campus members. One is my boss and is one of the founders of the company. The other is a fellow Bowdoin student, a junior, that also works for Her Campus. Would I feel comfortable asking either of them for $500 if no one else I knew could lend it to me? No, probably not. I feel that I only have a professional relationship with them- the only personal information we know about each other comes from our brief biographies on the website. However, I think there are other Her Campus members that are definitely able to find support through this internal network. I have read posts from one blogger on the site, Chandler, that is extremely enthusiastic about the Her Campus community. One of Chandler’s blog posts describing her experience at the Her Campus launch party in Boston demonstrated that she really has found support through other Her Campus members. The day of the party, Chandler was talking to one of the founders online and saying how disappointed she was that she couldn’t come to the party because she didn’t have anywhere to stay. The founder, Windsor, replied “Come!!”. So Chandler did. She got on a bus to Boston and upon arrival went to Windsor’s apartment. Windsor provided her with clothes for the night and a place to stay, and Chandler had a great time. Windsor and Chandler had never met in person before, but Windsor was willing to inconvenience herself to support a community member. I do not think I have been a member of Her Campus long enough to have had this kind of experience, but hopefully I will be able to connect with the rest of the team.

Bridging Social Capital- Ability to Access Expertise: Am I able to ask people for information or help?

I can definitely answer yes to this one. My boss, Annie, has been incredibly helpful in my transition to working on the website. She has explained everything I need to do, and I know that if I ever have any questions I can just send her a quick e-mail. I would feel comfortable contacting any of the Her Campus members with any questions or concerns.

Bridging Social Capital – Interest in Global Connections: Do I think I am part of a global, connected community, and am I interested in other cultures?

I will define “global” to mean other states and colleges around the country, although there are some Her Campus members that are studying abroad in foreign countries. I can also answer yes to this question. Her Campus is set up so that while some content is national and applies to all users, there are also college-specific branches with content aimed for those students. This content is still accessible to anyone who visits the Her Campus website, and I have read some of the college-specific stories as well. I have learned interesting facts about the people and social scenes at schools that I never would have looked into. I am part of a network that spans across the United States, and I enjoy reading about the happenings at other colleges.

Bridging Social Capital- Access to New People: Do I come into contact with new people?

As mentioned before, I have exchanged emails and messages with two Her Campus members that I’d never met before. However, I have not really had personalized interactions with anyone else from the site. I would put a “maybe” in response to this dimension. If I wanted to, I could friend Team members on Facebook or leave comments on their blogs. However, I feel that Her Campus’s internal network does not really allow everyone to get to know each other. While some members are definitely able to make new, close friends, I don’t know if that’s possible for everyone.

Bridging Social Capital- Citizenship: Am I willing to “give back” to Her Campus?

Yes, I am willing to give back to Her Campus. I think the website is a great tool for college students and am really proud to be working for it. I enjoy completing my tasks and am planning on remaining a member of the Team for the next few years.

As in the Steinfeld et al. study, I too reported higher scores on the bridging social capital scales than the bonding social capital scale. Overall, I think I have already increased my social capital through being a part of Her Campus, and I think I will continue to gain valuable resources during my involvement.

I did the unthinkable: I unfriended THREE PEOPLE. When it was first mentioned that we would be unfriending people on Facebook, I was very unenthusiastic. I’ll admit it: I love Facebook. I love looking through my News Feed for interesting wall posts, pictures and bumper stickers. I love being able to talk to my friends through a big group thread. However, I’m trying very, very hard to not get completely addicted. That’s why I decided I had to do this assignment the right way. I would have to find at least one person to cut.
After scrolling through my entire friend list, I found three worthy candidates. One was a guy that had gone to my camp, which is why I accepted him, but I don’t think we actually ever met. Two were people that I worked with at a summer internship but only spoke to once. I don’t think I’ll really miss having any of them on my friend lists. They weren’t particularly active or scandalous people. I did have a slight pang of regret as I pressed the “Remove from Friends” button, but I knew that I wouldn’t really miss any of them.
I chose to unfriend the three people I did because they were useless to me. I’m sure they’re all lovely, nice people, but I use my Facebook to either keep in touch with my true friends or as a source of entertainment. Since these three people weren’t fulfilling either role, they had to go. While this exercise was useful in really making me think about my Facebook use, I haven’t completely changed my habits. Right after I unfriended them, I friended five new people that I actually am friends with. I may have lost three friends, but I will be making up for it.

I consider myself to be pretty comfortable on the web, yet on Chat Roulette I acted like a deer in the headlights. My general pattern was to click next, look at the person, and immediately click next again. I wasn’t doing it because I thought they were unattractive or to be mean- I was just really creeped out! While I was curious about what Chat Roulette would be like, I was also very aware of its reputation. I didn’t trust any of the strangers I was matched with and felt too awkward trying to have a conversation. I don’t see myself becoming an avid Chat Roulette user since I do find it creepy, but I also kind of find it fun. I like seeing what types of people are logged on- even though I count as one of those people.