Facebook and My Space attract different American teenage social classes a research project has revealed. Facebook attracts the more educated young adults while the users of My Space tend to finish high school and start working.
The research project by PhD student Danah Boyd from the School of Information Sciences at UC Berkeley showed that the higher the level of wealth the better chances were that teens were using Facebook.
The project focused on interviews with a cross section of teenagers.
"Social networks are strongly connected to geography, race, and religion; these are also huge factors in lifestyle divisions and thus 'class'," she wrote.
The Facebook users tend to be white and from more affluent homes. Perhaps this is because of the types of networking that are associated within Facebook. It's focus is not so much on music but rather more of a networking network.
Characterising Facebook users she said: "They are in honors classes, looking forward to the prom, and live in a world dictated by after school activities."
My Space attracts students whose parents generally did not pursue further education. The teens tended not to be part of the inner circles at their secondary schools.
"MySpace has most of the kids who are socially ostracised at school because they are geeks, freaks, or queers," she said.
What both groups have in common though is looking down at the opposite network that they use.
"Teens are using social network sites to build community and connect with their peers," she said. "And through it, they are showcasing all of the good, bad, and ugly of today's teen life."
