Identity

The phenomena that have become social networking sites are not an easy topic to discuss. There are many different SNS providers that each has their own distinctive qualities that make them attractive to users. Since the launch of Six degrees in 1997, SNS have shown their dominance in the cyberspace by having a huge user base. My space in 2007 boasted 114 million users while facebook is the closest rival pulling in 52 million users. As I mentioned earlier each site does have different interface options to attract a multitude of users, but no one could have predicted the cultural explosion that these sites have created. Nicole Ellison writes, “85 % of Korean students listed the maintenance and reinforcement of pre-existing social networks as their main motive for Cyworld use.” Should we be bothered that young adults and teenagers are taking these networks in the same context as physical relationships in reality? Such is the case in coining terms as “facebook official” and the infamous “poke”. SNS have not only become a means of solidifying formal friendships but in cases such as such as e-harmony, they are reinventing our conventional methods of dating practice. Even now sites such as Club Penguin have further sought to lure in young children with online gaming rooms and a forum to plan parties. Other than club Penguin why is attracts our generation to “hang” put in cyberspace. Put simply by Danah Boyd, “Adults often worry about the amount of time that youth spend online, arguing that the digital does not replace the physical. Most teens would agree. It is not the technology that encourages youth to spend time online - it's the lack of mobility and access to youth space where they can hang out uninterrupted.” In this instance it appears that teenagers are utilizing SNS as a form of expression. An appropriate example to support this statement would the web log (blog). Blogging, as many other forms of writing, is essentially at will to the mind of the author. Yet as I read many user blogs I notice that these become journal entries much rather than pieces of literary work. Are not journals and diaries to be kept secret? Well why post revealing and sometimes damaging information on these SNS? Answered again by Boyd, it is not the technology that promotes these actions it is the lack of social identity and forums to share their beliefs and ideals. Myspace, facebook, second life, and many others have become much more than just social networking sites; they have become culturally embedded into our society. Even with the existence of such SNS, the idea to become known and identify yourself in society is not a new notion. Everyone wants to be noticed, and now with the progression of SNS this has become possible. It is not necessarily who you are in reality, but who you want to be represented as in cyberspace. In summation I will now take each of the two of sites listed above and examine them out of context for a moment. Facebook supports a friendly user interface that is constructed pictures, messages, personal characteristics. This could be looked at historically as viewing vacation slideshows of Europe at grandma’s house. Friends and family are allowed to view the photos, make comments, provide feedback, and ultimately choose whether they like or dislike. MySpace’s user interface can be completely customized by the user to express, for instance, who they are as a person. This is can be compared to a walking into a teenager’s room and seeing a plethora of photos, lyrics, and cultural icons cut and pasted all over their wall, making one giant collage that sums up their life. The ideas of self expressionism and cultural identity aren’t innovative at all. What is revolutionary is that now at anytime, whenever a person may feel repelled by reality, identity and self worth are just a click away.

watch this BBC clip its hilarious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlSkU0TFLs