White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement With Myspace and Facebook

CITATI0N: boyu, uanah. (2u11). "White Flight in Netwoikeu Publics.
Bow Race anu Class

Shapeu Ameiican Teen Engagement with NySpace anu Facebook." In Roce After tbe lnternet
(eus. Lisa Nakamuia anu Petei A. Chow-White). Routleuge, pp. 2uS-222.

Feeuback welcome! zephoiiazephoiia.oig
1
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=>%.#49* ?%%* @*)9)%>%*$ ,#$" AB;<94% 9*0 '94%3--/

uanah boyu
Niciosoft Reseaich anu Baivaiu Beikman Centei foi Inteinet anu Society
http:www.uanah.oig

In a histoiic small town outsiue Boston, I inteivieweu a gioup of teens at a small
chaitei school that incluueu miuule-class stuuents seeking an alteinative to the
public school anu pooiei stuuents who weie stiuggling in tiauitional schools.
Theie, I met Kat, a white 14-yeai-olu fiom a comfoitable backgiounu. We weie
talking about the social meuia piactices of hei classmates when I askeu hei why
most of hei fiienus weie moving fiom NySpace to Facebook. Kat giew noticeably
uncomfoitable. She began simply, noting that "HySpoce is just olJ now onJ its
borinq." But then she pauseu, lookeu uown at the table, anu continueu.
"lts not reolly rocist, but l quess you coulJ soy tbot. lm not reolly into rocism,
but l tbink tbot HySpoce now is more like qbetto or wbotever." - Kat

0n that spiing uay in 2uu7, Kat helpeu me finally unueistanu a pattein that I hau
been noticing thioughout that school yeai. Teen piefeience foi NySpace oi
CITATI0N: boyu, uanah. (2u11). "White Flight in Netwoikeu Publics. Bow Race anu Class

2
Facebook went beyonu simple consumei choice; it ieflecteu a iepiouuction of social
categoiies that exist in schools thioughout the 0niteu States. Because iace, ethnicity,
anu socio-economic status shape social categoiies (Eckeit, 1989), the choice
between NySpace anu Facebook became iacializeu. This got ieinfoiceu as teens
chose to self-segiegate acioss the two sites, just as they uo in schools.

Aftei Kat tolu me that NySpace was "like qbetto," I askeu hei if people at hei school
weie still using NySpace anu she hesitantly saiu yes. Bei uiscomfoit in uiscussing
the topic was palpable anu it became cleai that she uiun't know how to talk about
iace oi the social uivisions she iecognizeu in hei school.
"Tbe people wbo use HySpoce -- oqoin, not in o rocist woy -- but ore usuolly more
like qbetto onJ bip bop rop lovers qroup." - Kat

In tiying to uistinguish those who use NySpace fiom those who use Facebook, Kat
uses a combination of spatial iefeients anu taste maikeis that she knows have iacial
oveitones. While Kat uoes not iuentify as a iacist, hei life anu social woilu aie
shapeu by iace. Bei small school is uiviueu, with pooiei stuuents anu teens of coloi
in uiffeient classes than the white stuuents fiom wealthiei backgiounus. Kat's
fiienus aie piimaiily white anu hei classes anu activities aie piimaiily filleu with
white stuuents.


S
Kat's use of the teim "ghetto" simultaneously iefeiences spatial anu taste-baseu
connotations. 0n the one hanu, tbe ghetto is a pait of a city histoiically uefineu by
iace anu class (Wacquant, 1997). 0n the othei hanu, beinq ghetto iefeis to a set of
tastes that emeigeu as pooi people of coloi uevelopeu fashion anu cultuial aitifacts
that piouuly expiesseu theii iuentity. }ust as physical spaces anu tastes aie
oiganizeu aiounu anu shapeu by iace anu class, so too aie uigital enviionments.

This aiticle exploies a uivision that emeigeu between NySpace anu Facebook
among Ameiican teens uuiing the 2uu6-2uu7 school yeai. At the beginning of the
yeai, a common question in Ameiican schools was: "Aie you on NySpace." By the
enu of the yeai, the question hau shifteu to "NySpace oi Facebook." As Facebook
staiteu gaining momentum, some teenageis switcheu fiom NySpace to Facebook.
0theis joineu Facebook without having evei been on NySpace. Still otheis chose to
auopt both. Buiing this peiiou, NySpace uiu not lose tiaction. Teens continueu to
flock to the site, opting foi NySpace in lieu of oi in auuition to Facebook. To
complicate matteis moie, some teens who hau initially auopteu NySpace began to
switch to Facebook.

Slowly, a uistinction emeigeu. Those who auopteu NySpace weie fiom uiffeient
backgiounus anu hau uiffeient noims anu values than those who auopteu Facebook.
White anu moie affluent inuiviuuals weie moie likely to choose anu move to
Facebook. Even befoie statistical uata was available, the language teens useu to

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uesciibe each site anu its useis ievealeu how the uivision hau a iace anu class
uimension to it. uiven these uynamics anu Kat's notion of NySpace as ghetto, one
way to conceptualize the uivision that unfolueu is thiough the lens of white flight. In
essence, many of the same unueilying factois that shapeu white city uwelleis'
exouus to the subuibs - institutional incentives anu iestiictions, feai anu anxiety,
social netwoiks, anu iacism - also contiibute to why some teens weie moie likely to
uepait than otheis.

What uistinguishes auoption of NySpace anu Facebook among Ameiican teens is not
cleanly about iace oi class, although both aie implicateu in the stoiy at eveiy level.
The uivision can be seen thiough the lens of taste anu aesthetics, two value-lauen
elements that aie ueeply entwineu with iace anu class. It can also be seen thiough
the netwoik stiuctuies of teen fiienuship, which aie also uiiectly connecteu to iace
anu class. Anu it can be seen thiough the language that teens - anu auults - use to
uesciibe these sites, language like Kat's that iely on iacial tiopes to uistinguish the
sites anu theii useis. The notion that NySpace may be unueistoou as a uigital ghetto
intiouuces an analytic oppoitunity to exploie the uivisions between NySpace anu
Facebook - anu namely, the movement of some teens fiom NySpace to Facebook -
in light of the histoiic uiban tiageuy piouuceu by white flight. Biawing paiallels
between these two events sheus light on how people's engagement with technology
ieveals social uivisions anu the peisistence of iacism.


S
The uata anu analysis useu in this aiticle stems fiom foui yeais of ethnogiaphic
fieluwoik examining the iole that social meuia play in the eveiyuay lives of
Ameiican teens (boyu, 2uu8). Fiom 2uu4-2uu9, I inteivieweu anu obseiveu teens in
uiveise communities acioss 17 uiffeient states, spent ovei 2,uuu houis obseiving
online piactices, anu analyzeu 1u,uuu ianuomly selecteu NySpace piofiles. The
quotes in this aiticle stem fiom both online uata anu a subset of the 1uS foimal
semi-stiuctuieu inteiviews I conuucteu. I also use online commentaiy about this
uivision, incluuing blog comments anu news aiticles. Ny aigument is not a statistical
one, although Baigittai (this volume) uocumenteu that a uivision is visible in
statistical uata. Rathei, I illustiate how uistinctions in social netwoik site auoption
anu the peiceptions teens - anu auults - have about these sites anu theii useis
ieflect bioauei naiiatives of iace anu class in Ameiican society.

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The fiist social netwoik site was neithei NySpace noi Facebook (boyu anu Ellison,
2uu7), but these sites emeigeu as the two most populai social netwoik sites in the
0niteu States. NySpace launcheu in 2uuS on the heels of Fiienustei, an eailiei
social netwoik site that was notably populai among 2u-Su-something uiban
uwelleis in majoi uiban 0.S. cities. Although inuiviuual teenageis joineu NySpace
eaily on, teens became a visible uemogiaphic on the site in 2uu4. Nost eaily auoptei

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teens leaineu about NySpace thiough one of two paths: banus oi oluei family
membeis.

Teens who leaineu of NySpace thiough banus piimaiily followeu inuie iock music
oi hip-hop, the two genies most populai on NySpace eaily on. NySpace alloweu
teens to connect with anu follow theii favoiite banus. Eaily auoptei teens who weie
not into music piimaiily leaineu about the site fiom a ieveieu oluei sibling oi
cousin who was active in late-night cultuie. Foi these teens, NySpace was cool
because cool elueis thought so.

Teenageis who joineu NySpace began pioselytizing the site to theii fiienus. uiven
its populaiity among musicians anu late-night socialites, joining NySpace became a
foim of (sub)cultuial capital. Teens, especially those in uiban settings, tenu to look
to the 2u to Su-something ciowu foi piactices that they can emulate. NySpace's
eaily populaiity among teens was tightly entwineu with its symbolic iefeience to
matuiity, status, anu fieeuom in the mannei espouseu by uiban late-night cultuie.
While teens often ieveie the iisky piactices of a slightly oluei cohoit, many auults
woik to actively uissuaue them fiom uoing so. By piopagating anu gloiifying 2u-
something uiban cultuial piactices anu values, NySpace manageu to alienate
paients eaily on.


7
With little mass meuia coveiage of NySpace befoie News Coipoiation acquiieu the
company in miu-2uuS, many teens leaineu of the site thiough woiu-of-mouth
netwoiks, namely fiienus at school, chuich, activities, anu summei camp, as well as
fiom oluei family membeis. uiven its inception in the Los Angeles iegion, West
Coast teens founu NySpace befoie East Coast teens, anu uiban teens joineu befoie
subuiban oi iuial teens. The meuia coveiage that followeu the acquisition fuithei
escalateu giowth among teens.

Immeuiately aftei News Coipoiation bought NySpace, much of the meuia coveiage
focuseu on the banus. Aftei auults began iealizing how populai NySpace was with
teens, news meuia became obsesseu with teen paiticipation anu the potential
uangeis they faceu (Naiwick, 2uu8). This meuia coveiage was both a blessing anu a
cuise foi NySpace. 0n one hanu, some teens joineu the site because meuia solu it as
both fashionable among teens anu uespiseu by paients. 0n the othei hanu, some
teens avoiueu joining because of the peiceiveu iisks anu paients began publicly
uemonizing the site.

As NySpace simultaneously appealeu to anu scaieu off 0.S. teens, othei social
netwoik sites staiteu gaining tiaction with uiffeient uemogiaphics. Nost uiu not
appeal to teenageis en masse, although niche gioups of teens uiu join many
uiffeient sites. In 2uu4, Facebook launcheu, taigeting college stuuents. 0iiginally,
access to Facebook was intentionally limiteu. Facebook staiteu as a Baivaiu-only

8
social netwoik site befoie expanuing to suppoit all Ivy League schools anu then top-
tiei colleges anu then a wiuei aiiay of colleges. Because of its backgiounu, some saw
Facebook as an "elite" social netwoik site. The "highbiow" auia of Facebook
appealeu to some potential paiticipants while iepelling otheis.

The college-centeieu natuie of Facebook quickly appealeu to those teenageis who
saw college, anu thus Facebook access, as a iite of passage. They weie awaie of the
site thiough oluei family membeis anu fiienus who hau alieauy giauuateu high
school anu gone off to college. Befoie access became ieauily available, college-bounu
teens began coveting entiance. Foi many, access to the social woilu of college
became a maikei of status anu matuiity. Even those who hau NySpace accounts
ielisheu the oppoitunity to gain access to the college-only Facebook as a iite of
passage.

In Septembei 2uuS, Facebook began slowly suppoiting high schools. While this gave
some teens access, the piocesses in place foi teens to join anu be valiuateu weie
challenging, cieating a baiiiei to entiy foi many potential paiticipants. Those who
manageu to join weie often fiom wealthiei schools wheie the valiuation piocess
was moie soliuifieu oi quite motivateu - typically because they wanteu to
communicate with close fiienus in college.


9
Facebook finally openeu access to all in Septembei 2uu6. Spaiking a wave of teen
auoption, this is the oiigin point of teens self-soiting into NySpace anu Facebook.
The segment of teens that initially flockeu to Facebook was quite uiffeient fiom
those who weie eaily auopteis of NySpace. Yet, in both cases, the oluei eaily
auopteis shapeu eaily teen engagement, both in teims of influencing auoption anu
uefining the noims. As teens engageu, they uevelopeu theii own noims stemming
fiom those set foith by the people they alieauy knew on the site.

While plenty of teens chose to paiticipate on both sites, I began noticing that those
teens who chose one oi the othei appeaieu to come fiom uiffeient backgiounus.
Subcultuially iuentifieu teens appeaieu moie fiequently uiawn to NySpace while
moie mainstieam teens tenueu towaius Facebook. Teens fiom less-piivilegeu
backgiounus seemeu likely to be uiawn to NySpace while those heaueu towaius
elite univeisities appeaieu to be heau towaius Facebook. Racial anu ethnic uivisions
lookeu messiei, tieu stiongly to socio-economic factois, but I obseiveu that black
anu Latino teens appeaieu to piefeience NySpace while white anu Asian teens
seemeu to piivilege Facebook.

In obseiving these patteins in multiple communities in the 0S, I founu myself
unceitain as to whethei oi not they coulu be geneializeu. Ceitainly, theie weie
exceptions to each pattein. Still, I felt as the pattein was significant. This piompteu
me to wiite an essay on my blog wheie I mappeu out what I obseiveu (boyu,

1u
2uu7a). Thanks to coveiage fiom the BBC anu many populai bloggeis, my essay
went viial, spaiking uebate, outiage, anu contioveisy. It also spaikeu ieseaicheis
who weie seeing similai patteins to appioach me to shaie theii unpublisheu
finuings.

Analysts at two unnameu maiketing ieseaich fiims contacteu me to say that they
witnesseu similai patteins with youth at a national level but they weie unable to
publicly uiscuss oi publish theii finuing, but scholais anu bloggeis weie moie
willing to shaie theii finuings. In a paiallel stuuy, Esztei Baigittai (2uu7) founu that
paiental euucation as well as iace anu ethnicity weie significant pieuictois of social
netwoik site choice when analyzing suivey uata collecteu fiom a fieshman class at a
uiveise Niuwest college. White anu Asian stuuents as well as those whose paients
hau highei levels of euucation weie oveiiepiesenteu on Facebook while Bispanic
stuuents anu those whose paients uiu not have a high school uegiee weie moie
likely to use NySpace. Afiican-Ameiican college stuuents weie not moie likely to
use Facebook oi NySpace. While Baigittai's finuings with college fieshman ieflect a
similai tienu to my obseivations with high school-age teens, it is impoitant to note
that college paiticipation itself is shapeu by iacial anu socio-economic inequalities
anu that Facebook was initially a tool foi college stuuents. Thus, Facebook may well
be oveiiepiesenteu in Baigittai's uata anu college-age populations not attenuing
college may have uiffeient piefeiences. Taking a uiffeient appioach, bloggei Chuck
Lam (2uu7a; 2uu7b) examineu the social netwoik site habits of stuuents fiom 1S

11
schools in San Fiancisco baseu on theii iating at uieatSchools, finuing that stuuents
fiom highei iankeu schools weie moie active on Facebook while those fiom lowei
iankeu schools weie moie active on NySpace.

Two yeais latei, maiketing ieseaich fiim Nielsen Claiitas iepoiteu that wealthy
inuiviuuals aie 2S% moie likely to use Facebook while less affluent inuiviuuals aie
S7% moie likely to be on NySpace (Baie, 2uu9). In the same yeai, S. Ciaig Watkins
(2uu9) publisheu his qualitative anu suivey uata with college stuuents, ievealing a
iacial anu ethnic uivision in piefeience as well as anti-NySpace attituues by
collegiate Facebook useis that paiallel those of high school stuuents. While theie is
no uefinitive longituuinal statistical uata tiacking the uivision amongst teens, these
stuuies pioviue a valuable backuiop to the peiceptions teens have about the sites
anu theii useis.

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Theie's an olu saying that "biius of a feathei flock togethei." Peisonal netwoiks
tenu to be iathei homogeneous, as people aie moie likely to befiienu those like
them. Sociologists iefei to the piactice of connecting with like-minueu inuiviuuals
as "homophily." Stuuies have accounteu foi homophily in sex anu genuei, age,
ieligion, euucation-level, occupation, anu social class, but nowheie is homophily
moie stiongly visible in the 0.S. than in the uiviues along iacial anu ethnic lines

12
(NcPheison, Smith-Lovin, anu Cook, 2uu1). The ieasons behinu the piactice of
homophily anu the iesultant social uivisions aie complex, iooteu in a histoiy of
inequality, bigotiy, anu oppiession anu stemming fiom the complexity of the
political economy anu stiuctuial constiaints in Ameiican life.

Youth often self-segiegate by iace, even in uiveise schools (Noouy, 2uu1; Thoine
2uu8). While it is easy to lament iacial segiegation in fiienuships, theie aie also
social anu psychological benefits to iacial anu ethnic clusteiing. Tatum (1997)
aigues that self-segiegation is a logical iesponse to the systematizeu costs of iacism;
connecting along lines of iace anu ethnicity can help youth feel a sense of belonging,
enhance iuentity uevelopment, anu help youth navigate systematic iacism. Still, as
Bonilla-Silva (2uuS) has highlighteu, people's willingness to accept anu, thus expect,
self-segiegation may have pioblematic ioots anu contiibute to ongoing iacial
inequality.

When I askeu teens why iace uefines theii fiienuships, they typically shiuggeu anu
tolu me that it's just the way it is. As Tiaviesa, a Bispanic 1S-yeai-olu fiom Los
Angeles, explaineu,
"lf it comes Jown to it, we bove to supposeJly stick witb our own roces. . Tbots
just tbe unwritten coJe of biqb scbool nowoJoys." - Tiaviesa
Race was not an issue only in majoi metiopolitan communities. Beathei, a white 16-
yeai-olu in Iowa, tolu me that hei school was not segiegateu, but then she went on

1S
to maik people by iace, noting that, "tbe block kiJs ore sucb troublemokers." This
conflicting message -iefusing to talk about iace explicitly while employing iacial
language in conveisation - was common in my inteiviews as well as those of othei
scholais (Pollock, 2uuS). While theie was no foimal segiegation in Beathei's school,
like the ue facto iesiuential segiegation that continues to opeiate in many Ameiican
cities, the black teens in hei pieuominantly white school stuck togethei socially anu
weie steieotypeu by the white teens.

Anothei way of looking at teen fiienuships is thiough the lens of social categoiies
anu gioup labels. Nany of the teens I inteivieweu hau language to uemaicate
outcasts (e.g., "qotbics," "nerJs," "Birty KiJs," etc.) anu iuentify gioups of peeis by
shaieu activity (e.g., "bonJ kiJs," "ort kiJs," "cbeerleoJers," etc.). 0ften, labels come
with a set of steieotypes. Foi example, Beathei explaineu:
"Youve qot tbe pretties, wbicb ore tbe qirls tbot ton oll tbe time. Tbey put on
excessive mokeup. Tbey weor tbe sbort skirts, tbe reveolinq sbirts, tbot kinJ of
tbinqs. Tben youve qot tbe quys wbo ore kinJ of like tbot, Jumb os rocks by tbe
woy." - Beathei
Youth subcultuies can be seen as an extension of social categoiies; what
uiffeientiates them typically conceins iuentification. While teens often iuentify with
paiticulai subcultuies, social categoiies aie moie fiequently maikeu by otheis.


14
Social categoiies seive to maik gioups anu inuiviuuals baseu on shaieu iuentities. In
hei seminal text on the topic, Penelope Eckeit (1989) highlighteu that membeiship
in social gioups is not ianuom. Social categoiies uevelop in ways that iepiouuce
social uistinctions. While Eckeit focuses hei analysis on the class uistinctions
embeuueu in the labels "jocks" anu "buinouts," woik on chiluien anu youth in
schools also ieveals that iacial uivisions in schools aie also maikeu thiough labels
anu social categoiies (Thoine 2uu8). 0nlike class, iace anu ethnicity aie often maue
visible - albeit, bluiieu - in the labels youth use. In my fieluwoik, I founu that
cleaily uominant iacial gioups went unmaikeu, but labels like "tbe blocks," "tbe
Cbinese people," "tbe Eisponics," "tbe Hexicons," "tbe wbite people," anu so foith weie
iegulaily employeu to uefine social gioupings. In othei cases, anu in pait because
they aie awaie that using such categoiies coulu be peiceiveu as iacist, teens useu
substitutes that moie implicitly maik iace anu class-baseu uiffeience. Foi example,
the woiu "urbon" signals "block" when iefeiiing to a set of tastes oi piactices.
Similaily, some of the labels teens use have iacial implications, such as "Birty KiJs",
"qonqstos", anu "terrorists". While not all Biity Kius aie white, not all gangstas aie
black, anu not all teiioiists aie of Niuule Eastein uescent, they aie oveiwhelmingly
linkeu in teens' minus. Race anu class aie also often bluiieu, especially in situations
wheie the logic of stiatification may not be unueistoou by teens but appeais visible
thiough skin coloi.


1S
As much of the liteiatuie on youth in euucational contexts has ievealeu (Thoine,
199S; Eckeit, 1989; Peiiy, 2uu2), social categoiies anu iace-baseu labels aie also
useu to maik physical tuif in the lunchioom anu beyonu. 0ften, this becomes a way
in which youth self-segiegate. Keke, a 16-yeai-olu black giil in Los Angeles,
uesciibeu in uetail wheie stuuents in hei iacially uiveise school physically gatheieu
uuiing lunch anu between classes:
"Tbe bollwoys is full of tbe lnJions, onJ tbe people of HiJJle Fostern Jecent.
Tbey in tbe bollwoys onJ by tbe clossrooms. Tbe lotinos, tbey oll lineJ up on tbis
siJe. Tbe blocks is by tbe cofeterio onJ tbe quoJ. ... Tben tbe outcosts, like tbe
uncool lotinos or uncool lnJions, tbe uncool wbites, tbey scottereJ." - Keke
Each ethnic anu iacial gioup hau its gatheiing spot, but only one hau a name:
"BisneylonJ" is an aiea in the public yaiu wheie "tbe wbite people" gatheieu. While
Keke is piobably unawaie that Bisneylanu is, as Avila (2uu4: S) puts it, "the
aichetypical example of a postwai subuiban oiuei," the notion that stuuents in an
uiban Los Angeles school label the tuif wheie white people gathei by iefeiencing
the 0iange County subuiban theme paik known foi its iacial anu ethnic caiicatuies
is nonetheless poignant.

Like the school yaiu, online enviionments aie often oiganizeu by iuentity anu social
categoiies. In some cases, this is explicit. Social netwoik sites like Black Planet,
Asian Avenue, anu Niuente explicitly taiget auuiences baseu on iace anu ethnicity.
Nany who paiticipate in these communities stiuggle with what it means to be in a

16
public space uiiven by iace, what bounuaiies shoulu exist, how to manage iacism,
anu othei iace anu ethnicity-uiiven uialogues (Byine, 2uu8). While neithei
NySpace noi Facebook aie explicitly uefineu in teims of iace, they too aie oiganizeu
by iace. Nost paiticipants self-segiegate when connecting with theii pie-existing
netwoiks without been fully awaie of the social uivisions that unfolu. Yet, when
teens aie askeu explicitly about who paiticipates wheie, iacial teims emeige.

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Like school lunchiooms anu malls, social netwoik sites aie anothei space wheie
youth gathei to socialize with peeis (boyu, 2uu7b). Teens joineu social netwoik
sites to be with theii fiienus. uiven social uivisions in both fiienuship patteins anu
social spaces, it is unsuipiising that online communities ieflect eveiyuay social
uivisions. Yet, unlike piioi genies wheie teens collectively useu similai tools but
segmenteu theii inteiactions, theii engagement with social netwoik sites spanneu
two sites - NySpace anu Facebook.

Teens pioviue a vaiiety of uiffeient explanations foi why they chose NySpace oi
Facebook. Some aigueu that it was a mattei of peisonal piefeience having to uo
with the featuies oi functionality. Foi example, }oiuan, a biiacial Nexican-white 1S-
yeai-olu fiom Austin piefeis Facebook because it allows unlimiteu photos.

17
Conveisely, Aninuita, an Inuian-Ameiican 17-yeai-olu fiom Los Angeles values
NySpace's cieative featuies:
"Iocebooks eosier tbon HySpoce but HySpoce is more complex. You con oJJ
music, moke bockqrounJs onJ loyouts, but Iocebook is just ploin wbite onJ
tbots it." - Aninuita
Teens also talkeu about theii peiception of the two sites in ielation to theii values
anu goals. Cachi, an 18-yeai-olu Pueito Rican giil fiom Iowa uses both NySpace anu
Facebook, but she sees them uiffeiently:
"Iocebook is less competitive tbon HySpoce. lt Joesnt bove tbe Top 8 tbinq or
onytbinq like tbot, or tbe bockqrounJ tbinq." - Cachi

Safety - oi iathei the peiception of safety - also emeigeu as a cential factoi in teen
piefeience. While teens believeu Facebook was safei, they stiuggleu to explain why.
Taia, a vietnamese-Ameiican 16-yeai-olu fiom Nichigan saiu,
"[Iocebook] kinJ of seemeJ sofer, but l Jon't know like wbot woulJ moke it sofer,
like wbot moin tbinq. But like, l Jon't know, it just seems like everytbinq tbot
people soy, it seems sofer." - Taia
Teens' feai of NySpace as 'unsafe' unuoubteuly stems fiom the image poitiayeu by
the meuia, but it also suggests a feai of the 'othei.'


18
By fai, the most piominent explanation teens gave foi choosing one oi the othei is
the piesence of theii fiienus. Teens choose to use the social netwoik site that theii
fiienus use. Kevin, a white 1S-yeai-olu in Seattle, explains:
"lm not biq on Iocebook; lm o HySpoce quy. l bove o Iocebook onJ l bove some
frienJs on it, but most of my frienJs Jont cbeck it tbot often so l Jont cbeck it
tbot often." - Kevin
When teens choose to auopt both, what uistinguishes one fiom the othei often
ieflects uistinct segments of theii social netwoik. Foi example, Reu, a white 17-
yeai-olu fiom Iowa has a piofile on both sites, but
"tbe only reoson l still bove my HySpoce is becouse my brotbers on tbere." - Reu
Even teens who piefei the featuies anu functionality of one site use the othei when
that's wheie theii fiienus aie. Connoi, a white 17-yeai-olu fiom Atlanta, says that he
peisonally piefeis NySpace because theie's "too mucb qoinq on" on Facebook.
"lts like buq me onJ poke me. wbot Joes tbot even meon?" - Connoi
Yet, Connoi signs into Facebook much moie fiequently than NySpace "becouse
everyboJys on Iocebook."

Social netwoik site auoption took the foim of a social contagion spieauing thiough
pie-existing peei netwoiks. Foi some teens, the piesence of just one fiienu was
enough of an incentive to paiticipate; otheis only joineu once many of theii fiienus
weie piesent. 0nce insiue, teens encouiageu theii fiienus to paiticipate. NySpace
anu Facebook have netwoik effects: they aie moie valuable when moie fiienus

19
paiticipate. Some teens went so fai as to cieate accounts foi iesistant fiienus in
oiuei to move the piocess along (boyu, 2uu8). As woiu of each site spieau,
auoption hoppeu fiom social gioup to social gioup thiough pie-existing netwoiks
foi teens. In choosing to go wheie theii fiienus weie, teens began to self-segiegate
along the same lines that shape theii social ielations moie bioauly: iace anu
ethnicity, socio-economic status, euucation goals, lifestyle, subcultuial affiliation,
social categoiies, etc.

?95$%5F =%5$"%$#45F 9*0 ;-4#9( ;$9$25

Foi many teens, embiacing NySpace oi Facebook is seen as a social necessity.
Which site is "cool" uepenus on one's cohoit. Nilo, an Egyptian 1S-yeai-olu fiom
Los Angeles, joineu NySpace because it was "tbe tbinq" in his peei gioup but
anothei giil fiom the same school, Koiean 17-yeai-olu Seong, tolu me that Facebook
was the piefeiieu site among hei fiienus.

What is socially acceptable anu uesiiable uiffeis acioss social gioups. 0ne's values
anu noims aie stiongly linkeu with one's iuentity membeiship. When woiking class
inuiviuuals eschew miuule class noims in piefeience foi the noims anu
expectations of theii community, they iepiouuce social class (Willis, 1981; uaines,
1998). The iuea that woiking class inuiviuuals shoulu auopt miuule class noims is
funuamentally a miuule class notion; foi many woiking class inuiviuuals, the

2u
community anu its suppoit tiump potential upwaius mobility. Noims also uiffei
acioss iacial anu ethnic gioups anu aie ieinfoiceu as people of coloi seek to iuentify
with theii iacial anu ethnic backgiounu (Tatum, 1997).

While what is seen as cool can be uiffeientiateu by gioup, theie is also a fauuish
natuie to the piocess. Seong piefeiieu Facebook because it was "exclusive." She
moveu fiom Xanga to NySpace to Facebook as each new site emeigeu, piefeiiing to
auopt what was new iathei than stay on a site as it became wiuely embiaceu.
Conveisely, white 1S-yeai-olu Summei fiom Nichigan iejecteu the iuea of switching
to Facebook simply because it was new. She piefeiieu to be wheie hei peeis weie,
but she noteu that the "Jesiqner closs of people" in hei school joineu Facebook
because they felt the neeu to have "tbe lotest tbinq." In this way, subcultuial capital
influenceu the eaily auoption of Facebook; it was fashionable to some simply
because of its newness.

The constiuction of "cool" is funuamentally about social status among youth
(Nilnei, 2uu4). Teenageis both uistinguish themselves thiough piactices of
consumption, fashion, anu attituues anu assess otheis thiough these maikeis
(Shankai, 2uu8; Bebuige 1979). Yet, neithei tastes noi attituues noi cultuial
consumption piactices aie auopteu ianuomly. Race anu class shape piactices anu
the social agenuas aiounu iace anu class also uiive them (Ciane, 2uuu). Taste also

21
seives as a mechanism anu maikei of uistinction, anu people's tastes aie iooteu in
class uistinctions (Bouiuieu, 1984).

While both Bouiuieu anu Bebuige aigue that those fiom lowei social positions aie
uefining theii tastes in opposition to hegemonic stiuctuies, what constitutes "cool"
is also localizeu, uiffeiing acioss social categoiies, geogiaphy, anu gioups.
Consumption piactices anu fashion that uenote high status in some gioups may be
meaningless elsewheie. In this way, teens often tiaffic in what Saiah Thointon
(199S) calls "subcultuial capital" even when they themselves aie not subcultuially
iuentifieu. Naikeis of status can be locally uefineu anu may have moie to uo with
infoimation access oi meuia consumption than consumption of physical goous.
Fuitheimoie, uiscussions of anu connection to those with access to valueu
consumei objects may also be valuable in anu of itself, iesulting with what Shankai
(2uu8) calls "metaconsumption." 0nline, status maikeis take on new foim but in
ways that aie ieminiscent of offline piactices. Foi example, the public aiticulation of
connections on social netwoik sites is a way of visibly maiking oneself in ielation to
otheis anu theii status (Bonath anu boyu, 2uu4).

In an enviionment wheie piofiles seive as "uigital bouies" (boyu, 2uu8), piofile
peisonalization can be seen a foim of uigital fashion. Teens' Facebook anu NySpace
piofiles ieflect theii taste, iuentity, anu values (Bonath, 2uu7). Thiough the use of
imageiy anu textual self-expiessions, teens make iace, class, anu othei iuentity

22
maikeis visible. As Nakamuia (2uu8) has aigueu, even in the most constiaineu
online enviionments, paiticipants will use what's available to them to ieveal
iuentity infoimation in ways that make iace anu othei iuentity elements visible.

In uesciibing what was uesiiable about the specific sites, teens often tuineu to talk
about aesthetics anu piofile peisonalization. Teens' aesthetics shapeu theii
attituues towaius each site. In essence, the "qlitter" piouuceu by those who "pimp
out" theii NySpaces is seen by some in a positive light while otheis see it as "qouJy,"
"tocky," anu "cluttereJ." While Facebook fans loveu the site's aesthetic minimalism,
otheis vieweu this tone as "borinq," "lome," anu "elitist." Catalina, a white 1S-yeai-
olu fiom Austin, tolu me that Facebook is bettei because
"Iocebook just seems more cleon to me." - Catalina
What Catalina sees as cleanliness, Inuian-Ameiican 17-yeai-olu Aninuita fiom Los
Angeles, labels simplicity; she iecognizes the value of simplicity, but she piefeis the
"blinq" of NySpace because it allows hei to expiess heiself.

The extensive options foi self-expiession aie piecisely what annoy some teens.
Ciaig Pelletiei, a 17-yeai-olu fiom Califoinia, complaineu that,
"tbese tools qove HySpocers tbe freeJom to onnoy os mucb os tbey pleoseJ.
Iocebook wos nice becouse it stymieJ sucb onnoyonce, by limitinq inJiviJuolity.
Fveryones poqe lookeJ pretty mucb tbe some, but you coulJ still look ot pictures

2S
of eocb otber. Tbe HySpoce crowJ felt coqeJ onJ belJ bock becouse tbey werent
oble to moke tbeir poqe unique." - Ciaig
Ciaig believes the uesiie to peisonalize contiibuteu to his peeis' uivision between
NySpace anu Facebook.

In choosing how to expiess themselves, teens must account foi what they wish to
signal. Teens aie uiawn to styles that signal theii iuentities anu social gioups. Bue to
a technical glitch, NySpace enableu useis to iauically shape the look anu feel of theii
piofiles while Facebook enfoiceu a stiict minimalism. To the uegiee that each site
suppoits piofile peisonalization in uiffeient ways, iuentity anu self-piesentation aie
affecteu. While some aie uiawn to the ability to iauically shape theii piofiles to
theii liking, otheis piefei an enfoiceu cleanness.

Teens who piefeiieu NySpace lamenteu the limiteu oppoitunities foi cieative self-
expiession on Facebook, but those who piefeiieu Facebook weie much moie
ueiogatoiy about the style of piofiles in NySpace. Not only uiu Facebook useis not
finu NySpace piofiles attiactive, they aigueu that the styles piouuceu by NySpace
useis weie univeisally ugly. While Facebook's minimalism is not inheiently bettei,
conscientious iestiaint has been one maikei of bouigeois fashion (Ainolu 2uu1). 0n
the contiaiy, the flashy style that is populai on NySpace is often maikeu in ielation
to "bling-bling," a style of conspicuous consumption that is associateu with uiban
black cultuie anu hip-hop. To some, bling anu flashy NySpace piofiles aie beautiful

24
anu cieative; to otheis, these styles aie gaiish. While style piefeience is not
inheiently about iace anu class, the specific styles iefeienceu have iacial oveitones
anu socio-economic implications. In essence, although teens aie talking about style,
they aie functionally navigating iace anu class.

Taste is also peifoimeu uiiectly thiough piofiles; an analysis of "taste statements" in
NySpace combineu with the fiienu netwoik ieveals that uistinctions aie visible
theie (Liu, 2uu7). The impoitance of music to NySpace maue it a visible vectoi of
taste cultuie. Youth listeu theii musical tastes on theii piofiles anu attacheu songs
to theii pages. While many genies of music weie piesent on NySpace, hip-hop stoou
out, both because of its salience amongst youth anu because of its iacial
connotations. Although youth of all iaces anu ethnicities listen to hip-hop, it is most
commonly seen as a genie that stems fiom black cultuie insiue uiban settings.
Naiiatives of the ghetto anu black life uominate the lyiics of hip-hop anu the genie
also seives as a souice of piiue anu authenticity in communities that aie stiuggling
foi agency in Ameiican society (Foiman, 2uu2). Foi some, paiticipating in this taste
cultuie is a point of piiue; foi otheis, this genie anu the peiceiveu attituues that go
with it aie vieweu as offensive. Although NySpace was nevei about hip-hop, its
meie piesence became one way in which uetiactois maikeu the site.

Taste anu aesthetics aie not univeisal, but ueeply linkeu to iuentity anu values. The
choice of ceitain cultuial signals oi aesthetics appeals to some while iepelling

2S
otheis. 0ften, these taste uistinctions aie shapeu by class anu iace anu, thus, the
choice to maik Facebook anu NySpace thiough the language of taste anu aesthetics
ieflect iace anu class.

= +%$,-./%0 @G-025

Aftei posting my contioveisial blog essay about the uistinction between NySpace
anu Facebook, teens began to contact me with theii own stoiies. Anastasia, a 17-
yeai-olu fiom New Yoik, emaileu me to explain that it wasn't simply a mattei of
choice between the two sites; many of hei peeis simply moveu fiom NySpace to
Facebook. 0ntil now, I have focuseu on the choice that teens make to auopt NySpace
oi Facebook. But Anastasia's iight: theie is also movement as teens choose to leave
one social netwoik site anu go to the othei. By anu laige, teens uiu not leave
Facebook anu go to NySpace. Rathei, a subset of teens left NySpace to go to
Facebook. This can be paitially explaineu as an issue of faus, with teens leaving
NySpace to go to the "new" thing. But even if this alone coulu explain the tiansition,
it uoes not explain why some teens weie moie likely to switch than otheis.
Anastasia aigues that, at least in hei school, who paiticipateu can be unueistoou in
teims of social categoiies:
"Hy scbool is JiviJeJ into tbe 'bonors kiJs,' {l tbink tbot is self-explonotory), tbe
'qooJ not-so-bonors kiJs,' 'wonqstos,' {tbey pretenJ to be touqb onJ block but
wben you live in o suburb in Westcbester you con't cloim mucb booJ), tbe

26
'lotinos,bisponics,' {tbey tenJ to bonJ toqetber even tbouqb tbey coulJ fit into
ony otber qroups) onJ tbe 'emo kiJs' {wbose lives ore ollllllwoys filleJ witb woe).
We were oll in HySpoce witb our own little sociol networks but wben Iocebook
openeJ its Joors to biqb scboolers, quess wbo moveJ onJ quess wbo stoyeJ
bebinJ. Tbe first two qroups were tbe first to qo onJ tben tbe 'wonqstos' split
witb bolf of tbem on Iocebook onJ tbe rest on HySpoce... l sbifteJ witb tbe rest of
my scbool to Iocebook onJ it become tbe ploce wbere tbe 'bonors kiJs' qot
toqetber onJ JiscusseJ bow tbey were procrostinotinq over tbeir next AP Fnqlisb
essoy." - Anastasia

The social categoiies Anastasia uses ieflect iacial, ethnic, anu class uivisions in hei
school. Anastasia's uesciiption highlights how stiuctuial uivisions in hei school
uefine what plays out on NySpace anu Facebook. Novement fiom NySpace to
Facebook fuithei magnifies alieauy existing uistinctions. In Califoinia, 17-yeai-olu
Ciaig bloggeu about the movement in his school, using the language of taste, class,
anu hieiaichy.

"Tbe biqber costes of biqb scbool moveJ to Iocebook. lt wos more cultureJ, onJ
less cbeesy. Tbe lower closs usuolly were content to stick to HySpoce. Any biqb
scbool stuJent wbo bos o Iocebook will tell you tbot HySpoce users ore more
likely to be borely eJucoteJ onJ obnoxious. like Peets is more cultureJ tbon

27
Storbucks, onJ }ozz is more cultureJ tbon bubblequm pop, onJ like Hocs ore
more cultureJ tbon PCs, Iocebook is of o cooler coliber tbon HySpoce." - Ciaig

In his uesciiption, Ciaig uistinguishes between what he sees as highbiow anu
lowbiow cultuial tastes, using consumption patteins to uiffeientiate classes of
people anu uesciibe them in teims of a hieiaichy. By employing the teim "caste,"
Ciaig uses a multicultuial metaphoi with ethnic anu iacial connotations that iuns
countei to the supposeu class mobility available in 0.S. society. In uoing so, he's
locating his peeis in immutable categoiies anu tying tastes to them. While Ciaig
may not have intenueu to imply this, his choice of the teim "caste" is nonetheless
inteiesting.

These two accounts pioviue insight into who left, but they uon't account foi why. To
get at why, we must stait by consiueiing how NySpace's cultuial position shifteu
uuiing this peiiou. The following is a uesciiptive poitiait of a seiies of ielevant
events that contiibuteu to teen uepaituie. It is an oveisimplifieu account baseu on
my fielunotes uuiing that peiiou.

NySpace was once a cultuial centei foi youth cultuie. As it giew incieasingly
populai, a moial panic emeigeu ovei the potential iisks of sexual pieuatois
(Naiwick, 2uu8). While the iisks weie oveiblown (Shiock anu boyu, 2uu9), feai
spieau. Involveu paients - typically fiom moie euucateu anu wealthiei communities

28
- began looking closei anu they uiun't like what they saw. While my examination of
NySpace piofiles ievealeu that moie teens iefeienceu uou, }esus, bible quotes, anu
othei ieligious symbols than uploaueu scantily clau self-images, paients typically
assumeu that the lattei uominateu NySpace anu this upset them. Fuitheimoie,
these paients weie often hoiiifieu by the piactices of the uiban 2usomethings,
especially those fiom uiffeient cultuial backgiounus who appeaieu to have uiffeient
moial coues. The meuia helpeu piouuceu a techno-panic, often by leveiaging auult
feais of uiban black signals such as bling anu hip-hop.

Even though most teens weie piimaiily socializing with theii peeis, some paients
feaieu that the piesence of anu potential exposuie to uiffeient anu, piesumably,
ueviant piactices might coiiupt theii chiluien. In shoit, they uiu not see NySpace as
"safe" anu they uiu not want theii chiluien communing with people they woulu not
appiove of them associating with elsewheie. Feai uiove some paients to banish
NySpace. Teens who weie foiceu to leave weie moie likely to come fiom
householus wheie theii paients weie involveu in monitoiing theii kius' online
behaviois but weie not themselves on NySpace. They weie less likely to have
siblings, cousins, anu othei family membeis piesent in NySpace. In shoit, the teens
who weie foiceu to leave tenueu to come fiom moie piivilegeu backgiounus. Theii
uisappeaiance fiactuieu theii fiienus' netwoiks, ieuucing the value of NySpace.


29
Amiust this, NySpace faileu to auuiess the pioblems piesenteu by spammeis anu
scammeis. Teens staiteu ieceiving an onslaught of fiienu iequests fiom scammeis
anu theii accounts staiteu getting hackeu uue to secuiity flaws intiouuceu when
useis staiteu copying anu pasting layout coue into piofile foims. uiven theii
penchant foi vibiant piofiles anu willingness to tiack uown coue, youth weie
especially vulneiable. Because of the wiuespieau technopanic, many of the teens I
inteivieweu who left NySpace ieau these secuiity attacks as pioof of the piesence of
sexual pieuatois anu othei "cieepy" people. Those whose fiienu netwoiks on
NySpace weie alieauy fiactuieu weie most inclineu to leave.

The emeigence of Facebook hasteneu this piocess. Nany paients saw Facebook as a
"safe" alteinative to NySpace, piimaiily because it was not possible to make a
piofile tiuly public. (Aiguably, making a piofile visible to eveiyone in a geogiaphic
iegion is akin to being public.) Auults uiu not see the same signals on Facebook that
fiighteneu them. Nany ieinfoiceu the spatial anu iacial uistinctions by uemonizing
NySpace anu embiacing Facebook. Countless teens who weie not alloweu on
NySpace weie peimitteu to join Facebook. Teens who hau fiienus in college weie
especially quick to join. With an alteinative in place, many who weie uoubtful of
NySpace oi whose fiienus hau uepaiteu switcheu.

Conceins about NySpace anu safety weie wiuespieau, but how people iesponueu
vaiieu. Nany teens maue theii piofiles piivate oi fiienus-only, but otheis left oi

Su
weie foiceu to leave because of the feai. As they uepaiteu, theii fiienus weie moie
likely to go as well because of the impoitance of social cohesion. Nany of those who
left joineu Facebook. The same netwoik effects that motivateu teens to join NySpace
hasteneu theii uepaituie. The eaily uepaiteis weie not evenly uistiibuteu acioss
the netwoik. The factois that piompteu oi foiceu some teens to leave anu the
factois that minimizeu theii incentives to stay affecteu ceitain gioups of teen moie
than otheis. In shoit, teens fiom piivilegeu backgiounus weie moie likely to uefect.
This helpeu cieate the impiessions that Anastasia anu Ciaig uesciibeu.

AB;<94%H = I#)#$9( J"%$$-6

0ne piovocative way of ieflecting on the netwoikeu movement fiom NySpace to
Facebook is thiough the lens of "white flight." The teim "white flight" iefeis to the
exouus of white people fiom uiban Ameiican centeis to the subuibs uuiing the 2u
th

centuiy. This simplistic uefinition obscuies the iacial motivations of those who left,
the institutionalizeu uisciimination that iestiicteu otheis fiom leaving, anu the
iamifications foi cities anu iace ielations (Kiuse, 2uuS). Nany who left uiu so to
avoiu iacial integiation in communities anu schools. Not eveiyone coulu leave.
Although the subuibs weie touteu as pait of the "Ameiican Bieam," families of coloi
weie often baiieu uiiectly explicitly by ethnically exclusive iestiictions on housing
uevelopments oi inuiiectly by uisciiminatoiy lenuing piactices (Nassey & Benton,
1998). Subuibs weie zoneu to limit low-income housing anu ientals, theieby

S1
limiting who coulu affoiu to move theie. What followeu was uiban uecay.
uoveinmental agencies ieuuceu investments in uiban communities, uepopulation
loweieu piopeity values anu shiunk tax bases, anu unemployment iose as jobs
moveu to the subuibs. The iesultant cities weie left in uisiepaii anu the powei of
stieet gangs incieaseu. Thiough "white flight," iacial iuentities weie iewoikeu as
spaces weie ieconfiguieu (Baiiis, 2uu7; Avila, 2uu4; Nassey & Benton, 1998).

uiven the foimalizeu iacism anu institutionalizeu iestiictions involveu in uiban
white flight, labeling teen movement fiom NySpace to Facebook as "uigital white
flight" may appeai to be a pioblematic oveistatement. Ny goal is not to uismiss oi
uevalue the histoiic tiageuy that white iacism biought to many cities, but to offei a
staik fiamewoik foi seeing the iepiouuction of social uivisions in a society still
shapeu by iacism.

Consiuei the paiallels. In some senses, the fiist teens to move to the "subuibs" weie
those who bought into a Teen Bieam of collegiate matuiity, namely those who weie
expiessly heaueu towaius uoim-baseu univeisities anu colleges. They weie the elite
who weie given lanu in the new subuibs befoie plots weie bioauly available. The
subuibs of Facebook signaleu moie matuie living, complete with uigital fences to
keep out stiangeis. The naiiative that these uigital subuibs weie safei than the city
enhanceu its uesiiability, paiticulaily foi those who hau no inteiest in inteiacting
with people who weie uiffeient. Some teens weie moveu because of the policies of

S2
theii paients. Eaily settleis incentivizeu theii fiienus to join them. While foimal
iestiictions on who coulu move lifteu in Septembei 2uu6, the moie subtle netwoik-
baseu uisincentives uiu not. Those teens whose family anu fiienus weie ueeply
enmesheu in the city of NySpace weie less inclineu to leave foi the subuibs.

Those who left the city often left theii piofiles untenueu anu they often fell into
uisiepaii, coveieu in spam, a foim of uigital giaffiti. This contiibuteu to a sense of
eeiiness, but also hasteneu the uepaituie of theii neighbois. As NySpace faileu to
auuiess these issues, spammeis took ovei like stieet gangs. What iesulteu can be
unueistoou as a uigital ghetto.

Neeuless to say, the fiame of "white flight" only paitially woiks, but the metaphoi
pioviues a feitile backuiop to auuiess the kinus of language I heaiu by youth. It also
pioviues a fiuitful fiamewoik foi thinking of the feai anu moial panic suiiounuing
NySpace. Feai of iisk anu peiception of safety aie salient in uiscussions of ghettos.
Nany whites fleu the city, believing it ciime-iiuuen, immoial, anu geneially unsafe.
While outsiueis aie iaiely taigets of violence in the innei-city, the peiception of
uangei is wiuespieau anu the subuibs aie commonly naiiateu as the safe
alteinative. The same holus foi NySpace. Feais conceining iisks on NySpace aie
oveistateu at best anu moie often outiight misunueistoou. Yet, they aie
unuoubteuly wiuespieau. In contiast, Facebook's oiigin as a gateu community anu

SS
paients' belief that the site is piivate anu highly monitoieu ieflect the same values
signaleu by the subuibs.

The netwoik segmentation implieu by a "uigital white flight" also helps explain why,
two yeais latei, news meuia behaveu as though NySpace was ueau. Quite simply,
white miuule-class jouinalists uiun't know anyone who still useu NySpace. 0n Nay
4, 2uu9, the New Yoik Times ian a stoiy showing that NySpace anu Facebook usage
in the 0.S. hau neaily conveigeu (with Facebook lagging slightly behinu NySpace);
the title foi this aiticle was "Bo You Know Anyone Still on NySpace." Although the
aiticle cleaily stateu that the unique visitois weie ioughly equal, the heauline
signaleu the cultuial uiviue. The New Yoik Times staff was on Facebook anu
assumeu theii ieaueis weie too. This aiticle geneiateu 1S4 comments fiom
piesumably auult ieaueis. Some uefenueu NySpace, piimaiily by pointing to its
featuies, the oppoitunity foi connecting, anu the cultuial ielevance of musicians anu
banus. Nany moie conuemneu NySpace, bemoaning its usei inteiface, spam, anu
outuateu-ness. Yet, while only two NySpace fans useu conuescenuing language to
uesciibe Facebook ("Iocebook is very cbilJisb" anu "Iocebook is for tbose wbo live in
tbe post"), uozens of NySpace ciitics uemeaneu NySpace anu its useis. Some
focuseu on the peiception that NySpace was filleu with iisky behavioi:

"HySpoce become synonymous witb byper-sexuol, out of control teens, wilJ
portyinq 20-sometbinqs, S0-40sometbinqs crovinq ottention, sexuol preJotors on

S4
tbe bunt, onJ qenerolly un-cool personol bebovior from o relotively smoll, but
biqbly visible number of users."

0theis useu labels, steieotypes, anu uismissive language to othei those who
piefeiieu NySpace, often suggesting a class baseu uistinction:

"Hy impression is tbot Hyspoce is for tbe riffroff onJ Iocebook is for tbe lonJeJ
qentry."

"ComporeJ to Iocebook, HySpoce just seems like tbe otber siJe of tbe trocks - lll
qo tbere for fun, but l woulJnt wont to live tbere."

"my impression is [HySpoce is] for tweens, biqb scbool kiJs tbot write emo
poetry, onJ tbe proletoriot. once tbe younqer Jemo qoes to colleqe, tbey sbift to
focebook. tbe proletoriot? everyone knows tbey never qo to colleqe!"

}ust as those who moveu to the subuibs lookeu uown upon those who iemaineu in
the cities, so too uiu Facebook useis uemean those on NySpace. This can be seen in
the attituues of teens I inteivieweu, the woius of these commenteis, anu the
aujectives useu by the college stuuents Watkins (2uu9) inteivieweu. The language
useu in these iemaiks iesembles the same language useu thioughout the 198us to
uesciibe city uwelleis: uysfunctional families, peiveits anu ueviants, fieaks anu

SS
outcasts, thieves, anu the woiking class. Implieu in this is that no uecent peison
coulu possibly have a ieason to uwell in the city oi on NySpace. While some who
uiun't use NySpace weie haishly ciitical of the site, otheis simply foigot that it
existeu. They thought it to be iiielevant, believing that no one liveu theie anymoie
simply because no one they knew uiu.

To the uegiee that some vieweu NySpace as a uigital ghetto oi as being home to the
cultuial piactices that aie labeleu as ghetto, the same feai anu iacism that
unueipinneu much of white flight in uiban settings is also piesent in the peiception
of NySpace. The fact that many teens who left NySpace foi Facebook explaineu theii
uepaituie as being about featuies, aesthetics, oi fiienuship netwoiks uoes not
uisconnect theii uepaituie fiom issues of iace anu class. Rathei, theii attituue
towaius specific aesthetic maikeis anu featuies is shapeu by theii expeiiences with
iace anu class. Likewise, fiienuship netwoiks ceitainly uiove the self-segmentation,
but these too aie shapeu by iace such that uepaituie logically playeu out along iace
lines. The explanations teens gave foi theii uecisions may not be explicitly about
iace, ethnicity, oi class, but they cannot be untangleu fiom them, just as feai-baseu
naiiatives about the "ghetto" cannot be consiueieu without also accounting foi iace,
ethnicity, anu class.

In some senses, the uivision in the peiception anu use of NySpace anu Facebook
seems obvious given that we know that online enviionments aie a ieflection of

S6
eveiyuay life. Yet, the fact that such statements aie contioveisial highlights a
wiuespieau techno-utopian belief that the inteinet will once anu foi all eiauicate
inequality anu social uivisions. What unfolueu as teens auopteu NySpace anu
Facebook suggests that this is not the case. Neithei social meuia noi its useis aie
coloiblinu simply because technology is piesent. The inteinet miiiois anu magnifies
eveiyuay life, making visible many of the issues we hopeu woulu uisappeai,
incluuing iace anu class-baseu social uivisions in Ameiican society.

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CITATI0N: boyu, uanah. (2u11). "White Flight in Netwoikeu Publics.

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