Web 2.0 and social class

Taking a slight diversion from the regular work theme results in the mentioning of an article on the BBC News website about social networking sites (e.g. MySpace and Facebook).

The article - Social sites reveal class divide - reports on the research of Danah Boyd who is a PhD student at the School of Information Sciences at UC Berkeley.

The findings of the research are: 'A six-month research project has revealed a sharp division along class lines among the American teenagers flocking to the social network sites.

The research suggests those using Facebook come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college.

By contrast, MySpace users tend to get a job after finishing high school rather than continue their education.'

I've not had chance to look at her research yet, however, it sounds like an interesting contribution to the emerging debate that surrounds the alleged liberating effects of new communication (Web 2.0) technology.

Boyd's research paper can be accessed here - many more research articles by Boyd can be found here as well.

Web 2.0, worries and work

The BBC News website has recently run three articles on Web 2.0.

Firstly, Simon Atkinson looks at whether companies should 'let' their employees blog - see Companies urged: 'let your staff blog'.

Allowing employees to have their own blog is believed to be a positive thing for the firm.

Secondly, Mark Ward considers recent changes to the Internet that, unlike with the so-called dot.com boom/crash, have gone largely unnoticed see What is this thing called Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 in this sense is about how communities have grown around certain web-sites, blogs, etc.

Finally, Emma Wilkinson ponders over whether chatrooms could play a part in treating people with depression - see Can online therapy ease depression?

In this instance, Web 2.0 becomes "online CBT" and allows real-time therapy sessions from the comfort of the patient's home.

Currently, the possibilities surrounding Web 2.0 communication technology seem to be endless.

For me, it just confirms that we need go far beyond anecdotal tales of Web 2.0 and get some serious research done.

By Google thy (may) become undone

This story broke last week, but I've hardly had chance to do any blogging recently.

The news that employers are increasingly judging job applicants on 'Internet reputations' came to me as I lay in bed half-a-sleep listening to the news on BBC FiveLive (BBC FiveLive covered the same story in September - see here).

Later in the week Personnel Today reported on the very same issue - see Employers use 'internet reputations' to make decisions about job applicants by Mike Berry.

It appears that employers have reacted in a negative and positive fashion to (mainly) young people who use social community sites such MySpace and Facebook.

The positive responses surround content that is said to be 'appropriate' and 'presented in the right way'.

Negative responses concern rejecting applicants base on 'dubious personal information found online'.

The article contains more details than reviewed in this post.

My advice to those who would prefer an employer NOT to find out about their 'on-line life' would be to avoid letting any employer know your on-line nickname.

What is more, it would be unwise to use a web-based Internet email address used in such situations as a way of communicating with employers - email addresses can also be Googled!