My favourite online social networking community is Friendster.com. To date possibly the most prominent researchers involved in the study of online communities is Danah Boyd. Conducting research specifically on Friendster.com, Boyd (2004) discusses how a members profile respresents they way members decide to present their identity with a particular understanding of the audience, the other community members. Boyd (2006), saw profiles as constituting a digital body, a social creation, an initiator of conversation and a medium for ongoing conversation in multiple modalities. She maintains that Friendster.com in particular, motivated people to grapple with explicit presentations of self, creatively build playful networks, and engage in their competitive tendencies. In the relation to real life social networks, Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe (2006) argue that members off these communities may use the communication tools for the purpose of interacting with other members they know from real life such as school, family and work as well as meeting new people.
The notion of the ‘friend list’ plays an important role in the function of online social networking communities in that they enable the categorization and linkage of individuals to their social networks. Networking is the ostensible purpose of these sites; using one’s chain of connections to make new friends, dates and acquaintances. Boyd & Donath (2004) investigated the social implications of publicly displaying social connections finding that understanding a member within the context of their connections provides other community members with information about them and is useful in verifying one’s identity the community. With almost everyone in our social networks owning and represented in a profile, groups are now more informed on each other.
Although current research has delved into the emerging culture of Friendster.com, there is still much to be learnt. The functions of Friendster.com which facilitate the opportunity for interaction as well as the possible affects of the community on real life has yet to be further probed.
Investigation in to this field of research is essential because today, more people are using the internet then ever before. It is safe to say that the population online is one that is growing rapidly. Hence, it is vital that we learn and understand the dynamics of communication and ‘human’ interaction through computer mediated technologies, in the vast unknown of the virtual landscape.
Happy Birthday Nadiah!!!
Advertisement
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
