Socialll

As I was reading social networks and online community, I realize that there are many elements to friendships that I do experience online. And it allows me to broaden the multifunctional role that friendships play in my life. Haythorthwite lists classwork, collaboration, socialization and the exchange of emotional support. All of those things occur online for me. During the year I go back and forth with a number of class friends on ideas for papers, checking texts and questions. During the summers when I’m away from school, and working full time, social media and the internet becomes the dominant way I stay in touch with my good friends. Whether it’s the exchange of pictures, of stories, of needing advice about a certain situation…SO much of it occurs online and I don’t think I ever really realized how function social networking sites were in maintaining my friendships

De- Friending

http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2009/01/facebook_lingui.html
So we’ve talked about friending people, and what friendship really means in this day of social media. But have we given thought to defriending. This article brought up some interesting points.
Is defriending really bothersome. We can change our online friendships with the click of a bottom because on facebook…if you don’t want to deal with someone, you just black them from being your friend. Or you censor what they can see and not see. Interesting because in offline friendships you cannot really censor to much. Or can you?

Friend Friend Friend

Boyd make a number of really great points, and I know many of you have taken this topic to heart and really analyzed and delved into what friendship online means or doesn't mean (sarah and Kristen's posts stick out in my mind that I read last week)

However, I think many people are verrrryyy opinionated on the definition of friend. Much like some of you defined an online personality as having to be a mirror reflection of your real like personhood...but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that the internet changes the game. It changes the meaning of identity and forces us to reflect on our conception of such, and it also forces us to reinterpret the meaning of a "friend". New social networking sites have forced us to do so.

Many people are going to make the argument that all of these people are not my friends, they dont serve me any emotional support in a time of crisis, they don't pick up the phone to see how my job interview went, they don't know every member of my family and 20 years of stories that go with it...

But I'm not sure if we can look at online "friends" the same way we do real life friends. After all Boyd says that "friendship itself is culturally dependent and people use the term friendship in different cultural communities...'the contexts within friendships develop influence the forms which friendships take." I mean there it is...the context they develop(ONLINE) influence the forms they take(poking, messaging, picture sharing) What is different about these friendships online is that they do not require one to one communication and sharing. But the same things still go on, a friend will know another friends status, mood, appearance, interests, and happenings(via photos) because they look at their page. Totally and completely a different form of friendship, but it developed online so we cannot expect it to be the same of RL friendships.

Your Comments

So I had a few comments on my last blog, and all of which I agree with. Dr. Bob--I so see your point in that if all that money had just been raised, that doesnt mean he would have one.

Sometime, I like to throw ideas out there not in believing I'm 100% correct, but just because I don't like ALWAYS taking a critic or a scholars work for what it is, sometime they are wrong, sometimes I'm wrong. haha I dont mind being wrong though!

Back to the topic. I got to thinking about social media, ESPECIALLY Youtube after reading Dr. Bob's comment on my last post. What IS this next election going to look like. Can we even being to imagine the new sites that will up all of our social capital and abilities to engage in social activism? What do you think? Have any ideas?

Thought this article was interesting regarding this question

http://scienceblogs.com/framing-science/2009/05/in_the_2012_election_will_the.php

Because it is SO true, social media especially helps candidates understand more than ever before who their voters are and how we think...

Postmes

I came across a blurb in Postmes that I completely disagree with, and I'm interested to know if any of you agree with me as well, or could maybe give me more explanation on how you understand and agree with postmes point. He said...

"The Predominant use of Internet and modern communication technologies is not as a vehicle for direct action. it is to support and organize offline actions and to form (new) movements and organizations. The first occurs when established movements integrate the mass communication potenetial of the internet into their established repertoire of devices..."(pg.10)

I mean I agree that established movements can and NEED to integrate this new and incredibly useful tool of online socia media, and the internet. However, I think in this day and age movement are occuring COMPLETELY online. We dont have to have a movement like the WTO in seattle...I think it does so much more than "support and organize offline actions" and it IS a vehicle for direct action. Obama's online campaign DIRECTLY caused people to vote (aka ACT) anddd the internet isn't just about this whole offline action things. Look at all the money he(Obama) raised totally ONLINE. I consider that being a movement itself essentially.

Agree? Yes, no, maybe so?

Spier

What a man he was! And look all the ways the internet enabled him to carry out civic activism, unite with others who held common interests, and make a statement and a difference with his actions.

My favorite quote from the article, and one that I believe summed up the entire conversation we are having here in the blogosphere

The internet " enabled spier to discover his passion for social justice ...the internet enabled him to conduct unmeditated, two way one to one and many to many communication with others of like mind...the catalyst for action"

And it is my belief that it also gives individuals the power of one to many communication that allows such things as Obama's blog to be such a catalyst for his election and presidency.

Social Capital

There is NO doubt that social networking sites like Facebook enhance every individuals social capital--new friends, networking, political involvement, activism...you name it and social networking sites enhance it! Because it is all about relationships and having a voice.

A few years ago I wrote a paper regarding social capital and facebook, and drew largely from this essay done by some scholars from UT Austin. And its awesome if you take the time to read the study...and I'm not being biased just because it is from Texas!

http://online.journalism.utexas.edu/2008/papers/Valenzuela.pdf

Check it out! Civic duty and social activism have increased because of FB...look at the Obama campaign and all of those grass roots activities that got him the presidency...couldn't be a more perfect case study to prove the capabilities for social media to spark social capital