Ethnography, according to Wikipedia, ‘is a genre of writing that uses fieldwork to provide a descriptive study of human societies’. The human society that I have been studying is Facebook, a social network site (SNS) found on the Internet. The fieldwork necessary to complete this ethnography began by becoming a member on the FaceBook website and interacting with other members. I have also investigated the history of social network sites and read what other people have said about their experiences.
Danah Boyd defines ‘social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system’. There are many SNS available on the Internet, but Facebook was one of the first. It was created at Harvard University, and originally intended for their use only. Not long after its creation, the use of Facebook spread to other Ivy League colleges. The adoption of Facebook began on the coasts of the US, primarily used by people in their twenties. It quickly spread to other universities and after only being used for a year it was made available to high school students. In the year 2006, Facebook was opened to public and commercial use where its adoption has been widely successful.
Social network sites have become widely popular in our culture for a number of reasons. One reason is the influx of technology, which allows people to communicate in seemingly different ways. Also, dramatic changes in our society that puts limits on the social freedoms we allow our children to experience. Our society today has become a place where it is sometimes unsafe to allow our children to roam their neighborhoods to visit their friends. The use of SNS affords children the opportunity to socialize without leaving the safety of their home. They can ‘roam’ their chosen group (community) feeling relatively safe about who they will come into contact with. These SNS appeal to different groups of people for different reasons, some include the aesthetics of the site and different features made available by the site.
Because Facebook originated on a college campus it’s core purpose was to connect people to fellow alumni and friends. Rules for Facebook include all users must be at least thirteen years old and in high school or college. If a user is under the age of thirteen or eighteen and under and not in college their use of the site is prohibited. Facebook encourages the users to be honest in their portrayal of their personal information and to take full responsibility for all actions that take place under their account. Other terms for using Facebook state that the site is not to be used for commercial purposes, basically you can’t place advertisements there, but to maintain a personal and social interaction between members. Members are not to engage in any activity that would violate the rights of any third party member. The Facebook company reserves the rights to perform periodic reviews of sites to ensure no information or audio/video files are posted without proper consent by the original owner. The site also offers a Marketplace where users can list items for sale. The rules for Facebook read like any other legal document, basically you are supposed to conduct yourself in a responsible manner and not engage in any illegal activity on the site. The Facebook Company is not responsible for any wrongdoing that takes place on the site.
The first step when starting a new account with Facebook is to define your profile. Questions include: name, marital status, networking purpose, sex, hometown, and educational history. Once your profile is complete you are shown a list of current members who are part of your network and who may have something in common with you. You can view their profiles and choose to add them as a friend. By doing so, an email is sent to that person notifying them that you want to add them to your list of ‘friends’. Upon acknowledgement, that person will be added to your friend list and you can communicate with them easily. You can send emails to them and they as well as you can see when they are available online. One feature of Facebook is the ability to upload videos and photos for your friends to view. This is a good way to stay current with the lives of people you may not live near.
Facebook offers a huge selection of ‘groups’ you can join. Some groups are open to everyone and others require permission to join. The only groups I was able to find seemed to revolve around campus life at Morehead State University. Their purposes ranged from political, religious, social, and current events. I found some of the group’s names and purposes to be somewhat offensive, but it’s up to each individual member to stay away from content they may find inappropriate.
In my experience using the Facebook website I felt comfortable looking around the site and evaluating the profiles of people in my network. I did not witness any illegal or questionable activity. After interviewing some of the people I had added as friends I found they joined the site to re-connect with old friends from high school or college. Members I met had been a part of the community for varied amounts of time. But, all that I met and added to my friend list joined the site to network with old friends. They are eager to share photographs of their families and talk about where life has taken them since we last saw each other. A social network site such as Facebook allows members to get in contact with people they may otherwise never speak to. Networking at this caliber enables the user to broaden their life experiences socially and culturally. Advantages to being in touch with so many different kinds of people can affect every aspect of our lives. People from different parts of the world and different cultures expose us to different belief systems, different ways to approach an issue we may be facing, and even expose us to professional advice we may otherwise not receive. Communicating on a social network site, such as Facebook, is certainly cheaper than long distance phone calls to everyone you know. Time and money…two reasons to embrace a SNS.
