Social Networking Warfare

Normally I don't read all the articles in Newsweek . . . I just look at the cartoons and a bit of the movie stuff but an article in the August 6th Newsweek caught my eye. There has been a lot of debate lately over "social networks" such as Facebook and MySpace over safety and usage. It brought up some interesting points:

• "The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes and other 'good' kids are now going to Facebook. These kids tend to come from families who emphasize education and going to college."
• "MySpace is till home for kids whose parents didn't go to college, who are expected to get a job when they finish high school. It is the preferred digital hangout for outsiders–bunrouts, punks, emos, goths and gangastas, as well as minorities outside the mainstream."
• "Facebookers are strivers"
• "Myspacers are there in part becasue they're rejecting the values of preppies, jocks and tools"
  

Hmmmm, makes me think that those social values and labels are now moving over towards the digital age. Those lines/rifts are seen in every high school and society around. Near the end of the article it says "the division around MySpace and Facebook is just another way in which technology is mirroring societal values".

But could style have something to do with it as well? You look at Facebook and it is very clean cut–no weird backgrounds, white and blue contrast–where as MySpace ranges from person to person with the fonts, backgrounds, and add-ons.

Interesting to think that lines are still as sharp as ever when it comes to society and values. Many say that lines are beginning to blur when it comes to society and how it interacts with each culture, but I believe that the lines are still there and that they aren't going to change any time soon because of the way a culture has control of its society.