Racebook
Web 2.0
21 November 2007
New research has found that an individuals' preference for a social networking site is often determined by their race, education and ethnicity.
The study of 1,000 US university students found that white students prefer Facebook and Asian and Asian-American students are least likely to use MySpace, which is most popular with Hispanic students.
Eszter Hargittai, author of Whose Space, said that the findings were inconsistent with ideas about the web's potential to improve people's lives by sidestepping physical constraints.
She found that students based at home were less likely to use social networking sites (SNSs), and students whose parents had a college degree were more likely to use Facebook.
The findings suggest that SNSs could contribute to a two-tier community, with those students already distanced from campus less likely to cultivate lots of social networks.
“In this case, it is the already constrained students who miss out on the web's potential benefit,” Hargittai said.
Virtual networking on Second Life gives visitors an opportunity to create an avatar. Users can try to replicate their real appearance or create a character of whichever race or colour they choose.
To make more money from your website
CALL US NOW ON 01483 740800.
