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The Ethnography of MySpace

      MySpace began in 2003 as a home to twenty-somethings who were into indie music in
Los Angeles, California (Boyd, 2006).  It grew as a response to the limitations of Friendster. The ability to personalize pages drew users to the site. MySpace today has more page views than any other site, with the exception of Yahoo!(Boyd, 2006).  The majority of users are between the ages of 14 through 24.  The minimum age to join is 14, although, from personal experience there are users much younger. 

     Upon joining MySpace, users are asked to create a username and password.  The account is then verified through e-mail. They also ask to invite friends from the address book of the e-mail account.

     Once the registration process is complete, users are able to write a blurb about themselves which can include interests, favorite book, favorite movie, etc.  Users are also able to change the look of one’s site through the use of backgrounds, videos and music.  For a novice user, the ways to change backgrounds is not obvious.  However, with a little research, this task is easily accomplished.

     Now once the site has the individual tastes of the user, the question becomes why users have flocked to MySpace and helped the site to grow at an incredible rate.

     One of the prominent features that users utilize is the comments.  Users can comment on other sites.  Owners can reject any comments not wanted.  This feature is utilized due to the ability to quickly respond.  Unlike e-mail, the comments are for everyone to see who can visit the site.

     Some other features that are utilized are bulletins that allow all one’s friends to see what is placed on the bulletin.  Blogs are used by users to show what going on in the user’s life and are allowed to be viewed by anyone who visits the site.

     In order to find more friends, one may join forums to find others who are interested in the same topic.

     Other than the functionalities of features, the main reason join and go online daily is to keep up with friends and family.  Instead of using the telephone to keep in touch with just one person at a time, users can keep up with multiple users.  Users can also connect with bands and celebrities.

     Some users have the ability to set their space to private, so that only other users accepted as friends can see the site.  This is most recommended for underage users.  Upon speaking with students about what they do when someone they don’t know asks to see their site, they immediately responded they don’t add anyone they don’t know or know about.  If they have added anyone who acts inappropriately, particularly if they are overage, they delete them.

     When exploring MySpace, one finds a wide variety of people.  There are search functions that allow you to search for people with similar interests or search for people in your area.  Everyone has allowed myspace to literally be that, their space.  The spaces are as diverse as the population that is using it.

     The functionality and ability to post on others spaces makes MySpace a site that will continue to grow.  The site is keeping up with the demands for video and music and users can always continue to improve and change their site and as often as they feel is needed.  Upon my joining MySpace, I can see why people use the site daily and feel the need to stay connected.  I suppose the population that will continue to utilize myspace the most is the teenage and twenty or thirty year olds.  It will be interesting to see if teenagers today keep up with and grow their site as they age.

Boyd, Danah. 2006. “Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace.” American Association for the Advancement of Science,
St. Louis, MO. February 19.

I have spent a lot of time exploring my sns’s. I am still debating whether to compare two or simply concentrate on one. It takes a lot of time just to see what is available on the site.  I have talked to a few people.  I am going to begin research this week and finish the project, hopefully, before it is due.  I will be finalizing my findings and writing my paper.

Arrogance of the Techies “These absurd predictions create inflated expectations and ultimately, the loss of credibility.”

The loss of credibility is huge when it comes to anything.  I know that sometimes, with professional development, this is happening with teachers.  Trying everything coming down the pike has led some to have the feeling of it can be a waste of time.

“Information is Power”

Online we surrender…. our time on earth.  The time we now waste watching the tube was once invested in the community.

These statements from this chapter made me think the most.  I have never gone to a funeral or seen a headstone stating what someone’s myspace page was like.  Life is about, for me, connections.  Real connections with family and friends.  I am not saying, I don’t enjoy time online, but I think there is a need to remember, moderation.

Help! I’m stuck at a help Desk!

Who’s most frustrated with their computers? Often, its the original thinkers. The inventive. The creative.

Planned Obsolescence

This chapter made a lot of sense to me. In order for some companies to stay in business, things have to become obsolete.  I just never made the connection. 

The Plague of PowerPoint

I have found this chapter to be very true.  I know I have gotten into a PowerPoint rut in my class.  It is the easiest way to give notes and lecture at the same time for me.  I feel that it is boring the kids to death, sometimes.  This is the topic I have thought about the most.

Rule Number Two

Mental note, follow rule number two.

Isolated by the Internet

I have given thought to the things brought up in this chapter, as well.  I know if I am sitting at the computer for a long period of time (like I will be this week),  I do not feel well physically.  I have got up from the computer feeling nauseous and lightheaded from staring at a screen for way too long.

I have enjoyed reading this book much more than the other ones in this class.  I agree with a lot of things Stoll spoke about.  I think he made a lot of sense.

I have completed my video.  It is not very good, but it is my first try.  I have learned more just trying to get it posted, then the actual doing.  Please be kind.  I wanted to put music to it, but it was more than I could manage right now.  I think the process of doing the video, for me, was extremely educational.  Another thing I have struggled with but completed, nonetheless.  This took about 3 times as long as I anticipated.

Here is is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbalZUgz7qE 

I see things I could do differently, next time.

Multimedia Comics multimedia writers needn’t be experts so much as filters whose task is to absorb and compress great gobs of information into small, easily digestible on-screen chunks. Brevity and blandness. These are the elements of the next literary style.

This statement really hit home with me.  I believe this book goes along with not only what can be wrong with computers, but really, what is going on in our society, as well.  Everyone wants things quick with no real struggle for it.  I am just as guilty as anyone else.  Sometimes, I think it is priorities.  I want things condensed so I have more time for what I want to do.

CRTs for Tots-Kindergarten student behind in keyboarding? I laughed outloud when I read this.  That summarizes everything.

A Question of BalanceIs there balance anymore?  I feel like not so much.  It is obvious kids and adults alike are spending multiple hours online and in front of a tv.  Where is the balance?

Calculating Against Calculators-Pre-algebra, once the mainstay of seventh and eighth graders, has become a common college class.  I see this first hand everyday.  I teach in 8th grade and if students don’t have a calculator, they can do simple addition and subtraction.  I had a student in our top Pre-algebra class ask for some help on a math problem.  I asked her what 10-4 was and she had to use her fingers and figure it out.  I was astonished.

Education by E-mail-relationships  As I am getting my Rank I through online classes, I have asked myself some of the questions brought up in this part of the book.  Am I sacrificing personal relationships with instructors for an education?

Cyberschool- best part of book, so far.  I love how these ideas come from people who have obviously never spend time in a real classroom.  More power to them, if they think this will ever work.

“For the dirty little secret of educational technology is that computers waste teachers’ time, both in and out of the classroom.”

Wow!  What a statement.  This jumped out at me as I was reading.  I am wondering what analysis has been done to back this statement up.  I know there are times when I feel like I have wasted some time using computers in class, but I think overall, computers have added to class, not taken away.  I guess this is the statement of a heretic. 

I have been thinking about what I have learned, and what I will learn as I write about the social network sites.  I have gained a lot of knowledge in utilizing certain websites.  I still feel very inept at the sns’s but I have gotten a lot further than I thought I would be able to. 

I have struggled mightily with this class at times.  I have wondered about my grade, wondered if I was doing what was expected of me.  I hope everything will work out in the end as we have a few more weeks to go.  I am sure I will struggle with the final project, but I am more understanding of technology, education and culture.

“Our educational revolutionaries pay lip service to the need to read, but wish to channel students into a substitute for reading.”

This statement made a lightbulb go off in my head.  NCLB is focused on reading and math, but instead of funding this properly, we have two computer labs and multiple computers in our school.  I know the school I work in is not the only one.  How much time and energy has gone into technology at schools that have not gone into reading and math?  I am not saying that technology has not helped or is not needed, but how much funding could have been sent other ways.  I know as a member of site base that money for the computer labs did not come through us.  I, also, know that we did not have enough money to fully buy textbooks for next year.  Where is the line?  The saying put your money where your mouth is does not seem true for NCLB.

I have allowed my 6th grade niece to show me some things on myspace.  I finally got a different background.  I have not started blogging, but I am planning on it.  This is a busy time of year.  I have also posted a few times on Twitter.  I am like others in class who are wondering how the site could be beneficial.  I guess I better get with it, class will end before we know it.

Learning takes work. Discipline.  This statement from the chapter is so true.  This is what I see a lot of students failing to realize.  If it is too hard or if it is not spoon fed to them, they are not willing to put in the work required.  I think this comes from the instant gratification a lot of them have grown up with.  If they don’t see results almost immediately, they will give up.

The program forces the child to do a math problem in order to be rewarded with two minutes of entertainment. Then the torture begins anew.  What a great way to teach hatred of math.   I have never thought of this reality before.  The learning just gets in the way of the fun and allows the student to hate what is interrupting the fun.  I have not noticed any examples of this firsthanded.  My experiences show whenever students are thinking they are not “working”, they are happy. 

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