Week Four - Topic 2: Social Networking Sites

Social Networking Sites

Social networking websites have become, for many people, a part of every day life.
In terms of theories of online identity or ‘identity play’, social networking sites are very simple. You register as your ‘real self’ and that is who you are online. The majority of people sensibly only accept ‘friendships’ from people they know of IRL, which means there are no issues of gender swapping, stereotyping or just pretending to be someone else for the fun of it. Of course, you can exaggerate or tone down your personality or characteristics but as the people who view your profile are those who know you IRL, it seems pointless. Social networking sites, unlike MUD’s or any unmonitored forums, are not places for personal experimentation.


After some web-based research, I noticed some suggestions of social networking being described as social communities. I don’t think I personally would describe Facebook as a community. Although you do know your some of your ‘friends’ on an emotional level, you interact on the site and have a continual membership, it is more of a means of peer-to-peer communication, being nosey, or part of the ‘look at me’ phenomenon than a community.