Inside the Digital Divide, Cyberqueers and Social Networking

This weeks' blog is in response to the readings Social Network Sites Definition, History and Scholarship by Dana M. Boyd, Cyberqueer by Nina Wakeford and The Digital Divide in a Global Perspective by Castells.

They were all very informative and fact based reads, however flawed they might have been. As an avid Facebook and Twitter user myself, the article on social networks wasn't terribly revelatory to me, but I did like learning how early on social networking had gotten started and how narrowed in focus it was in the late '90s/early 2000s. I really learned more about the origins of social networking than I expected.

The Digital Divide pieces, however, was all over the place and had little to no real focus whatsoever. I felt like I couldn't pick up anything worthwhile from it. The Cyberqueer article was interesting as it offered a unique perspective on how identities (particularly sexual orientation) play out online. It didn't really land with me on a personal level or anything, but it was certainly something to think about and it could apply to all of us in ways we aren't even aware of.

This social networking article did actually raise an interesting point about how we may or may not define the concept of "friendship" differently in the 21st century as connections get more and more impersonal. Sure, they are "connections" to say the least, but are they really "friends" if we've never met these people in real life? They could be if we ever do get a chance to meet them. It all depends on how one uses networks social via social networks (for lack of a better phrasing). Does one use such platforms to stay in touch with current real life friends or to meet new people alter on in real life? Does one use it for social friendships or for business contacts? It's hard to always know.

I think I will just leave it there for now. I didn't plan to spend much time on this week's entry as I'm already getting sick and I have a midterm on Thursday to study for. I will just end by saying that you can expect some new changes at my website for a Digital Journalism project by the end of the week. This is another thing that should be taking up some of my time this week, so goodnight!