Facebook communication devices and users (March 14, 2009)
Facebook. During the course of my ethnographic research, I've come to discover perhaps what I always knew: Facebook is MASSIVE. This site affords an immense supply of juicy research. Today, I simply tasted the depth of facebook flavor.
Although in his chapter on "Media Ethnography," Beach writes, "Increasingly, adolescent audiences...participate in virtual communal experiences of interactive media in virtual communities...adolescents can experiment with different roles and stances without concern for the constraints of gender, class, race, age, or disability markers that inhibit their participation in lived-world, face to face interaction," this certainly isn't the case for the biggest virtual, interactive community on the web- namely, facebook. In this community, we often know our community members, or friends. Further, gender, race, class, age, and disability/ability are thoroughly explored and enacted. However, I'd argue (as an ethnographer and as a participant in this sub-culture) that our representations of ourselves are still re-created and transformed from our actual self. This transformation occurs within the information (profile), visuals (photos), and messages ("What's On Your Mind) we project about ourselves, as well as within the communication devices offered within the facebook community.
To narrow my ethnographic research for this post, I'm concentrating on two kinds of communication devices and messages/responses: wall messages and "What's On Your Mind?" (formerly known as "status") messages.
My investigative questions include: What do users use different communication devices for? Who uses what kind of communication device? Do different devices/forms of communication indicate different intentions?
Some Important Folk terms:
friends: users that you confirmed can see your information, posts, pics, wall, etc. If someone isn't your friend, the forms of communication that they can choose to use with you are limited.
wall: a space on your profile page that friends can post messages. The wall displays the message unless the user deletes it or newer messages push it down the wall until there is no longer room on the wall for the message. At this point, the message is retained in a wall storage space.
message: works as an email. you can message friends or non-friends.
comment: users can comment on pictures, posts including articles and announcements, wall posts, or "what's on your mind" post. Sort of like a sub-topic.
"What's on your mind?": a message formerly known as "status" that users can post on a homepage feed that all users' friends view. "What's on your mind?" is basically a feed with a kind of a "twitter" aspect to it; users constantly update what their message says.
Observations:
Sample wall posts:
1) BRICK WALL:hi! Can you send me some of the photos you took from Colorado to my email? I need to find my cord to plug my camera into my computer and I will send you the ones I have. hope all is well! xo
2) GARDEN GATE:hey man, hope life is going well down there. let me know if you need someone to fly down there and school them in soccer.
3) PICKET FENCE:where is the improve? see, i already have plans with my boytoy and maybe some friends. but maybe they'll be up for some improve. i had a dream last night it was high school softball season again. remember when you played?! that was the greatest!
4) STONE WALL:when will you come visit us again?
xo from the icy east
Analysis:
In general, it seems that wall posts are often reserved for/from friends who live in a different place or a space to write memories. For example, STONE WALL writes, "when will you visit us again?" PICKET FENCE writes "Remember when you played?!" Typically, wall topics seem to be concerned about past or future rather than the present.
Observations:
Sample "What's on your mind?" (formerly known as "status") posts:
1) NO NAME ONE: I am so freaking happy that it is Saturday! Walking, chilling, celebrating NO SCHOOL!
2)NO NAME TWO: braised artichoikes, scrambled eggs with feta, good bread. the windows are open and i just had the greatest breakfast ever.
3)NO NAME THREE: "Gurl I know you...You dun support me in mah endeavors." "In conc...in conclusion...IN CONCLUSION." bwahahahaha
4) NO NAME FOUR: has rabies for learning!
Analysis:
Based on the samples, typically, these "What's On Your Mind?" messages are brief and prone to hyperbole. Users seem to use this communication form to express emotion. For example, NO NAME ONE is "freaking happy." NO NAME TWO "just had the greatest breakfast ever." Users should not always consider "What's on your mind?" messages seriously. NO NAME THREE uses "bwahahahaha" to emote humor/laughter. Exclamation points are invited and appreciated here. Users can respond or "comment" on their "friends'" status.
Conclusions:
Personally, I find facebook fascinating when I approach it from a academic or ethnographic perspective. It really is a sub-culture or community as demonstrated through its multiple forms of communication. Certainly, users choose to participate in the community as individuals, but social norms do manifest (for instance, users write about the present in their "What's On Your Mind?"/status updates...users tend to write about the past or future on wall posts). From this point, I think I need to interview users to explore why these norms exist. A good question might be, "When do you write on someone's wall?" And/or "when do you update your status?" I am actually interested in pursuing this research further!
Method:
As a user, I randomly chose friends' updates on my homepage to include. Same goes for the wall posts. I didn't search for anyone in particular, I just clicked on users who appeared on my homepage. I suppose this shows that these users recently updated/used their facebook account.
Although in his chapter on "Media Ethnography," Beach writes, "Increasingly, adolescent audiences...participate in virtual communal experiences of interactive media in virtual communities...adolescents can experiment with different roles and stances without concern for the constraints of gender, class, race, age, or disability markers that inhibit their participation in lived-world, face to face interaction," this certainly isn't the case for the biggest virtual, interactive community on the web- namely, facebook. In this community, we often know our community members, or friends. Further, gender, race, class, age, and disability/ability are thoroughly explored and enacted. However, I'd argue (as an ethnographer and as a participant in this sub-culture) that our representations of ourselves are still re-created and transformed from our actual self. This transformation occurs within the information (profile), visuals (photos), and messages ("What's On Your Mind) we project about ourselves, as well as within the communication devices offered within the facebook community.
To narrow my ethnographic research for this post, I'm concentrating on two kinds of communication devices and messages/responses: wall messages and "What's On Your Mind?" (formerly known as "status") messages.
My investigative questions include: What do users use different communication devices for? Who uses what kind of communication device? Do different devices/forms of communication indicate different intentions?
Some Important Folk terms:
friends: users that you confirmed can see your information, posts, pics, wall, etc. If someone isn't your friend, the forms of communication that they can choose to use with you are limited.
wall: a space on your profile page that friends can post messages. The wall displays the message unless the user deletes it or newer messages push it down the wall until there is no longer room on the wall for the message. At this point, the message is retained in a wall storage space.
message: works as an email. you can message friends or non-friends.
comment: users can comment on pictures, posts including articles and announcements, wall posts, or "what's on your mind" post. Sort of like a sub-topic.
"What's on your mind?": a message formerly known as "status" that users can post on a homepage feed that all users' friends view. "What's on your mind?" is basically a feed with a kind of a "twitter" aspect to it; users constantly update what their message says.
Observations:
Sample wall posts:
1) BRICK WALL:hi! Can you send me some of the photos you took from Colorado to my email? I need to find my cord to plug my camera into my computer and I will send you the ones I have. hope all is well! xo
2) GARDEN GATE:hey man, hope life is going well down there. let me know if you need someone to fly down there and school them in soccer.
3) PICKET FENCE:where is the improve? see, i already have plans with my boytoy and maybe some friends. but maybe they'll be up for some improve. i had a dream last night it was high school softball season again. remember when you played?! that was the greatest!
4) STONE WALL:when will you come visit us again?
xo from the icy east
Analysis:
In general, it seems that wall posts are often reserved for/from friends who live in a different place or a space to write memories. For example, STONE WALL writes, "when will you visit us again?" PICKET FENCE writes "Remember when you played?!" Typically, wall topics seem to be concerned about past or future rather than the present.
Observations:
Sample "What's on your mind?" (formerly known as "status") posts:
1) NO NAME ONE: I am so freaking happy that it is Saturday! Walking, chilling, celebrating NO SCHOOL!
2)NO NAME TWO: braised artichoikes, scrambled eggs with feta, good bread. the windows are open and i just had the greatest breakfast ever.
3)NO NAME THREE: "Gurl I know you...You dun support me in mah endeavors." "In conc...in conclusion...IN CONCLUSION." bwahahahaha
4) NO NAME FOUR: has rabies for learning!
Analysis:
Based on the samples, typically, these "What's On Your Mind?" messages are brief and prone to hyperbole. Users seem to use this communication form to express emotion. For example, NO NAME ONE is "freaking happy." NO NAME TWO "just had the greatest breakfast ever." Users should not always consider "What's on your mind?" messages seriously. NO NAME THREE uses "bwahahahaha" to emote humor/laughter. Exclamation points are invited and appreciated here. Users can respond or "comment" on their "friends'" status.
Conclusions:
Personally, I find facebook fascinating when I approach it from a academic or ethnographic perspective. It really is a sub-culture or community as demonstrated through its multiple forms of communication. Certainly, users choose to participate in the community as individuals, but social norms do manifest (for instance, users write about the present in their "What's On Your Mind?"/status updates...users tend to write about the past or future on wall posts). From this point, I think I need to interview users to explore why these norms exist. A good question might be, "When do you write on someone's wall?" And/or "when do you update your status?" I am actually interested in pursuing this research further!
Method:
As a user, I randomly chose friends' updates on my homepage to include. Same goes for the wall posts. I didn't search for anyone in particular, I just clicked on users who appeared on my homepage. I suppose this shows that these users recently updated/used their facebook account.
You said it, facebook is indeed massive! I like how you defined the possibly "unfamiliar terms" up front. Nice job giving a variety of "what's on your mind?" examples, too!
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