Facebook Vs. MySpace

You've heard of both of these sites. Supposedly, MySpace is for teens and Facebook is for college students. But here is an author that thinks the differences go much further than just age...

The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes, or other "good" kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college. They are part of what we'd call hegemonic society. They are primarily white, but not exclusively. They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities.

MySpace is still home for Latino/Hispanic teens, immigrant teens, "burnouts," "alternative kids," "art fags," punks, emos, goths, gangstas, queer kids, and other kids who didn't play into the dominant high school popularity paradigm. These are kids whose parents didn't go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school. These are the teens who plan to go into the military immediately after schools. Teens who are really into music or in a band are also on MySpace. MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracized at school because they are geeks, freaks, or queers.

Read the rest of this provocative article by Danah Boyd here.

(Big thanks to Jason Miller for passing this article along).

Comments

[Bridget Pitney]

I have account at both. I wonder what that says about me. :) I like Facebook better though because MySpace has too much spam and porn friend requests.

[Heather]

ha! i just posted a facebook vs. myspace on my blog on friday...too funny... guess i'm a tweener...a goody two-shoed, athletic, art fag-punk with an education!