I know that MySpace exists.\u00a0 The question is really, is it still a widely used social media site?\u00a0 In \u201cWhite Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook\u201d by Danah Boyd, Boyd references the differences in how teens perceive MySpace and Facebook, and the racial gaps that exist between the two social media sites. While the book was published in 2011, Boyd references the 2006-2007 school year.\u00a0 A lot can change in 5 years.\u00a0 It seems to me that everyone has moved to Facebook.\u00a0 I think I can only name one person who I know who does not have a Facebook.\u00a0 Even my 89-year-old grandfather has a Facebook.<\/p>\n
I work in a first grade classroom (my daughter attends a parent participation school), and the argument that the old thing (MySpace) is inferior and the new thing (Facebook) is much better (even though in reality they are almost the same thing) is something I see all the time.\u00a0 There is nothing new about this phenomenon.\u00a0 It has been happening in the schoolyard for years.\u00a0 Is it really a surprise that kids are trying to use technology to set themselves apart from each other?\u00a0 To me, the better question is why kids are still segregating into racial groups, then what tools they are using to do that.<\/p>\n
It has been a while since I went to high school, but I do not remember there being such a distinct grouping of races (with the exception of non-native English speakers).\u00a0 Perhaps that is because I grew up in the bay area.\u00a0 Overall, I did not find this article relevant or intriguing.\u00a0 The anecdotal evidence from teenagers is not extremely convincing, and I would have much rather read a paper on why these groupings exist and not how they differentiate each other, but maybe that is just me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I know that MySpace exists.\u00a0 The question is really, is it still a widely used social media site?\u00a0 In \u201cWhite Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook\u201d by Danah Boyd, Boyd … Continue reading