Social Networking Sites: Mediating the Self and its Communities

Abstract

What do social networking sites reveal about the relation between the self and the community? We conceptualise social networking sites as technologies of the self and the community enabling individuals to self-present and also objectifying the community's evaluation of individuals (through 'structures of recognition' such as page views, friends and lovehearts). We analyse the way in which 37 Scottish adolescents used the social networking site Bebo in nonprescribed and creative ways. First, they challenged the single authorship of profiles by co-creating multi-authored profiles. Second, they used creative language to obscure meaning from the preying eyes of parents, teachers and potential employers. We conclude by discussing the simplistic assumptions that Bebo makes about the relation between the self and the community. In contrast, newer social networking sites such as Facebook and Google+ are increasingly enabling people to present different facets of themselves to different communities. How people use social networking sites, and how these sites are developing to attract more users, reveals how the multiplicity of human identity is related to the multiple communities that people participate in.

Toward the future: A conceptual review and call for research and action with online communities

“…Six studies examined norms and attitudes in different online and hybrid contexts. Researchers explored communication norms among users of the social networking site Bebo (Whittaker & Gillespie, 2013), problem drinkers (Klaw, Dearmin Huebsch, & Humphreys, 2000), and those with depression (Salem, Bogat, & Reid, 1997). A comparative study examined how bodies are discussed on a pro-anorexia (pro-ana) and an anorexia recovery sites (Riley, Rodham, & Gavin, 2009).…”

“…A 12-month longitudinal study examining 37 Scottish young people's Bebo profiles qualitatively analyzed how users self-present and evaluate self-presentations, and how they interacted with other users on Bebo in prescribed and non-prescribed ways (Whittaker & Gillespie, 2013). Users often "guest edited" each other's profiles, and the style of communication was targeted to the in-group and was almost unintelligible to out-group members.…”

Exploring online and gaming communities through community psychology

“…Five studies examined communication norms in different contexts. One comparative study compared discussions on race among users on YouTube and a news site (August & Liu, 2015) and a descriptive study explored communication among social networking site Bebo users (Whittaker & Gillespie, 2013). Researchers have also descriptively explored communication norms in an online mutual help group for problem drinkers (Klaw, Dearmin Huebsch, & Humphreys, 2000) and an online support group for those with depression (Salem, Bogat, & Reid, 1997).…”

“…In other words, we may speak differently in contexts where we feel a sense of privacy. A 12-month longitudinal study examining 37 Scottish young people's Bebo profiles utilized a qualitative analysis of how users self-present, evaluate self-presentations, and how they interacted with other users on Bebo in prescribed and nonprescribed ways (Whittaker & Gillespie, 2013). These users had connections to each other offline, although only their online communication norms were examined.…”

The effects of online social networking on retail consumer dynamics in the attractions industry: The case of ‘E-da’ theme park, Taiwan

“…Twitter, but they still worry about how their private information is being handled (Whittaker & Gillespie, 2013). This is why the most common problem mentioned about sharing social identity is concern about privacy (Al-Debei, Al-Lozi, & Papazafeiropoulou, 2013;Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy, & Silvestre, 2011;Litvin et al, 2008).…”