In Boyd’s piece, she focuses on discussing certain questions that have arisen in response to the rise of the use of social network sites by teenagers in the United States as well as other countries. Some of the questions raised appear to be easily answered at first, such as “why do teenagers flock to these sites” (as many teens might answer, because “it’s cool.”) but when looked at in more depth, they raise some of the other questions, such as what exactly are they expressing on them, and are like face-to-face friendships; are they different or complementary? One of the ones I found most intriguing was what they learn from their participation, as the question of what is gained by using the internet is asked by many. A question Boyd left out which is just as important though, is what do they contribute by using these websites.
In reflecting on past readings, one thing these social networking sites enable is Warschauer’s idea of social capital, and the contribution of it. All three types of social capital are demonstrated when teenagers use websites like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster etc. The bonding of social capital occurs among groups of friends when they connect online, such as the two girls mentioned by Boyd who made fake profiles for their parents to see and had other profiles that they kept active. The bridging of social capital I felt was exemplified by the girl quoted at the start, saying how she posts things on her Xanga that she doesn’t feel she is able to share in class, because “I think if kids in school read what I have to say and how I say it, they'll want to be my friend.” This provides the opportunity for members of other social groups to reach out to her, and therefore bridge social capital. The norm related social capital is also shown in Boyd’s piece, when she describes how often when starting a profile online, teenagers will look to other profiles of their friends to see what they said, and what is acceptable to post.
In asking what exactly is it that they are expressing on these websites and if these are different or complementary to face-to-face friendships, I would have a month ago said that they are very different at least in regards to those who have not met online. That being said, after learning about virtual as fake and virtual as potential, it brings me to reconsider that question.
Boyd’s concept of networked publics was also an interesting one, as she describes a networked public as being mediated, the network mediating the interactions between members of the public. This made me think of websites like Wikipedia, or even Google chat, and if Boyd would consider them to be a networked public, as the argument could be made that there are not enough rules and boundaries for chatting that could make it considered to be mediated. Many of the parents of teenagers who are using these social networking sites would most likely also not consider them to be mediated by the network, and in need of more regulations.
Overall, while Boyd’s piece was intended to answer questions, for me it ended up raising more questions about the usage of the social networking websites and how it benefits those who use them, and perhaps also how it might provide a disservice to those who use them.
