Zooming in on MySpace
(and teen social networking)
with Larry Magid and Anne Collier
Tourists & Commuters
• New & strange vs. routine • Random vs. purposeful • Bewildering vs. familiar • Strangers vs. friends • Superpublic vs. intimate
The social Web…
…AKA “Web 2.0,” its newest phase • User-produced, youth-driven • Multi-device • Multimedia • Uploadable, downloadable • 24/7 accessible
Not going away
Move over, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LiveJournal, MyYearbook…
• 100s of general social sites • Teen-specific sites • Corporations adopting SN in workplace • Sites for hikers, travelers, sports fans… • Global - Korean, Japanese, Swedish, Estonian, Indian, Canadian….
Lines blurring
• Between media sharing and social networking • Between social sites • Between online & offline • YouTube has profile pages too
Not just teens, of course
• 52% of MySpace users are 35+ • Organizations on MySpace:
Rock for Darfur | World Wildlife Fund | NAACP | National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | Oxfam | Human Rights Watch | Save the Children | Rape Abuse and Incest National Network…
16,042 groups about philanthropy, 93,286 about religion, 25,335 groups about politics…
MySpace is whatever…
…anyone wants it to be!
• Social producing / creative networking • Alternate reality game + diary + teen’s bedroom + school lunchroom • “Not knowing what we think till we know what everyone else thinks”?
What are they doing in there?
Good stuff…
Socializing Learning social rules Decorating profiles Exploring identity Writing blogs Writing software code Risk assessment Discovering music Producing & editing videos Discussing interests Social & political activism Keeping in touch with friends long-term
What are they doing in there?
Neutral or bad stuff… Seeking validation Competing in a popularity contest Venting Showing off Bullying Defaming Pulling pranks Getting even Impersonating
What teens call…
“hanging out” researchers call "informal learning”
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• Social norms, rules, narrative, personal/group history, media literacy • Virtual “private” space • Their own "third place"
Designing MySpace
• Re-decorate anytime, any way • Videos, photos, music, colors, fonts, etc. • Write or import third-party code
Very public
Just in the last few weeks…
• Principal in TX sues student MySpacers • MySpace user in GA posts sexually explicit gossip about fellow students • 15-year-old posts “hit list”
Risks
• • • • • Sexual predation Cyberbullying Damaged reputation Permanent archive Self-created child porn • • • • Negative support Impersonation Defamation Inappropriate content • PC security
Zooming in on predation
• "1 in 5" now "1 in 7" • Research hasn't scratched the surface • Need research other than sexual exploitation • UNH researcher on the only real risk
Some things change, some stay the same
• Social networking is this year’s concern • In past years it was…
Chat rooms Instant messaging Email Web sites Newsgroups
• Now we’re worried about IM again.
Privacy a 2-edged sword
• Protects kids from prying eyes • “Protects” kids from parents and authorities
What do we need to teach?
“MySpace now has 72 million users. That is larger than the populations of 213 countries. Perhaps we could deal with the social online networks thing if we thought of it for what it is – MyNation. “This is their digital nation. They are citizens, and they've never been taught digital civics.” --David Warlick Media literacy | Critical thinking | Citizenship | Academic ethics | Writing | etc.
The question may be…
How more than what
• Holistic – Net just another “place” and source • Integrated • Multiple “teachers” • Ongoing • Teachable moments
Laws & legal issues
• Anonymity & age verification • Cyberspace & school property • First Amendment rights • Delete Online Predators Act
A few observations
• This is about life, not technology. • Problem-solving needs to be as interactive as the problem. • Managing instead of controlling. • Banning works less than ever.
Thank you!
Come visit us at www.BlogSafety.com Anne@blogsafety.com Larry@blogsafety.com