MySpace and the kids who love them
13-Mar-06
I finally read Danah Boyd’s paper, Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace. Definitely give it a read. The two points I found most interesting:
(1) MySpace is about cultural identity production. You tweak your profile to show off what your style/clique/affiliation is, just like uniform clothing within cliques.
(2) MySpace gives a social space without authority. Excerpt:
“Teens have increasingly less access to public space. Classic 1950s hang out locations like the roller rink and burger joint are disappearing while malls and 7/11s are banning teens unaccompanied by parents. […] By going virtual, digital technologies allow youth to (re)create private and public youth space while physically in controlled spaces.”