11/2/08
COMP 106
Prof. Yerks
Research Essay
Question: The article discusses a survey concerning college students and their usage of Myspace and Facebook. Do you think that people of the older generations use social networking sites? If so, what do you think they use them for? Do you think they use them for the same reasons as the younger generations? If not, how do they differ and what could be the reasons for this difference?
These days, it is a commonly held misconception that social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook, are only used by members of the younger generations such as high school and college students. It is believed that the older generations aren’t comfortable with the new technology because they did not grow up with the internet, and so they simply don’t use social networking sites for this reason. As the saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, this is simply untrue. It has been found that in spite of the large young adult population who use social networking sites, there is also a large adult population who use these sites as well.
Myspace was one of the first most popular social networking sites to hit the stage in 2003 (Brad, Greenspan, 2007). Though there were others before it, Myspace greatly grew in popularity, especially among the younger generation. Myspace was soon overtaken by a newer social networking site called Facebook, which was created by Mark Zuckerburg, a former Harvard graduate, in 2004 (Sid Yadav, 2006). With the creation of this site, college students flocked over to this newer site, leaving Myspace behind. Myspace, however, did not lose all of its members. Interestingly, 68 percent of the users of Myspace are ages 25 and older (comScore, 2006). Now, even Facebook has a noticeably larger adult population than it had in past years, with a population of nearly 50 percent of its users being ages 25 and older. These figures show that Myspace and Facebook are no longer just for the younger generation, but is now becoming a new means of communication that all generations are adapting to. In fact, there is now a new social networking website called Eons, which is exclusive to people who are over the age of 50 (Michael Arrington, 2006).
There are many possible reasons for why Myspace and Facebook are very popular among members of the older generations. These social networking sites, allow individuals to keep in contact with various friends, family members and old work associates, which is appealing to members of the older generations, who don’t want to lose their connections with these people (Amy Hunter, 2008). Myspace is also popular among office workers, as it allows them to pass the time during the lulls of everyday office life (Workplace Prof Blog, 2007). These social networking sites also provide a place where, individuals who are part of a particular group or organization can congregate and be informed of all events which take place outside of their meetings. In addition, a Myspace or Facebook account allows for the individual to easily inform all of their friends and family of particular events which have taken place in their lives, such as buying a new house and having a baby.
In spite of the growing population of older users, their utilization of such sites varies from that of the younger generation. In general, adult users tend to focus more on the personal aspect of such social networking sites and tend to be more private with their information (Sandy Hayes, 2007). Also, while the younger generation seems to be completely consumed by these sites, most adults are likely to use these sites for more practical and direct reasons, rather than to waste their down time (Stephen Pounds, 2006). Adults tend to want to narrow their network to close personal friends and family members rather than adding random individuals just to get a larger friend count, like some individuals in the younger population. In a sense, adults tend to be less erratic in their utilization of these sites, than the younger groups. In general, adults appear to use such networking sites for more practical purposes than that of the average 18 to 24 year old individual.
In general, adults differ in their usage of social networking sites, because they live in a world of work and responsibility. This is not to say that all adults are responsible and that all members of the younger generation are irresponsible, but it is a fact that adults tend to have to deal with daily stresses relating to their jobs and families. With this in mind, adults don’t have several hours of free time to spend on these sites, as their hectic schedules don’t allow them such freedoms. As for the much older generations, social networking sites are a place where they can see how the rest of the family is doing and perhaps keep in contact with various other old friends. The younger generation also tends to live in environments which require them to be very social, which is in contrast to the average adult, who maintains a relatively low number of close, personal friends. In all, the differences can be attributed to maturity and the changes of social environment as one grows older.
It seems all too often that we are wrapped up in the current generation that we tend to forget that the older generations still exist. These people have not simply disappeared, but have adapted to the current life style, just as their parents had to during the time of their generation. Culture and technology advance at an amazing rate, and it would be wrong to believe that previous generations could not possibly keep up, because they have experienced many changes in their lifetimes as well. It is clear that we must look past the black and white picture of cultural generations and we should realize that we all live in a fluid world of change.
Works Cited
1. Greenspan, Brad. “Launching MySpace and Its History.” Brad Greenspan 16 Jun. 2007
< http://bradgreenspan.com/?p=21>
2. Yadav, Sid. “Facebook – The Complete Biography.” Mashable 25 Aug. 2006. 4 Nov. 2008
< http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/>
3. comScore Press Release. 5 Oct. 2006. comScore. 4 Nov. 2008
< http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1019>
4. Arrington, Macheal. “Old People Now Have a Place to Hang Out.” TechCrunch 1 Aug. 2006.
4 Nov. 2008 < http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/01/old-people-now-have-a-place-to-hang-out/>
5. Hunter, Amy. “Cyber Socializing Goes Old School.” McClatchy – Tribune Business News 30
Mar. 2008.
6. Pounds, Stephen. “MySpace for Adults?” Palm Beach Post 28 Nov. 2006. 4 Nov. 2008
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/business/epaper/2006/10/23/m1a_multiply_1023.html>
7. Hayes, Sandy, ed. “The Myspace Culture” Voices From the Middle. 15 (2007): 59.
8. “Will Facebook and Myspace Change the Workplace?” Weblog posting. Workplace Prof
Blog. 15 Nov. 2007. 5 Nov. 2008
4 comments:
this is a very good perspective, i agree.
and to answer your original question of what is the 21st century i think we are a collage of bits and pieces of our daily life's.
its like a 90's sitcom where you dont need to watch any other episodes of the show and it will make sense. :]
This is an interesting question. I can see myself using social networking sites well after college. In my opinion, the most shocking statistic is how many 25+ use myspace. I figured that myspace was heavily high school students. Great execution of information and writing style!
I think everyone should be using social networking its the future of meeting people. it is kind of strange to see a professor on a social networking website not because of their age but rather because you get to see a glimpse into their life you normally do not get to see.
You have presented some really interesting statistics, I was surprised at how many older people still use myspace. I had always thought it was a high school type thing. Good job, it was a really interesting paper.
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