PHOTO 365

The 365 Photo project. I started on my 29th birthday.

8/3 outside of the Armadillo restaurant on Kirby. The Eyes are glowing

8/4

8/5 all dressed up and no place to go

Did Users Flee To Facebook Because MySpace Was “Too Ghetto”?

Did Users Flee To Facebook Because MySpace Was “Too Ghetto”?: "

Research among techie circles has produced an argument that Facebook’s success is due in part to white folks leaving “the ghetto” of MySpace. We thought this made for a good discussion piece. Pop the hood for more on this theory and to weigh in

A new analysis by Microsoft researcher Danah Boyd argues that Facebook’s success is due in part to “white flight” from MySpace.

We were talking about the social media practices of her classmates when I asked her why most of her friends were moving from MySpace to Facebook. Kat grew noticeably uncomfortable. She began simply, noting that “MySpace is just old now and it’s boring.” But then she paused, looked down at the table, and continued.

“It’s not really racist, but I guess you could say that. I’m not really into racism, but I think that MySpace now is more like ghetto or whatever.”

So begins the book chapter White Flight in Networked Publics — How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook (pdf) part of the forthcoming book Digital Race Anthology.

Danah Boyd, author of the chapter, stirred up controversy once before, in 2007, by noting that during the period beginning in 2006 when teens began to flock to Facebook, teens’ preference for either MySpace or Facebook appeared to fall along lines of race and class.

Subsequent statistical analyses of the characteristics of users of online social networks by researchers, marketers and bloggers, she notes in her latest work, backed up her claims that white and asian teens who belonged to higher socieconomic strata (and who aspired to college, with which Facebook at the time was associated) were attracted to Facebook, while latino, black and working-class teens tended to opt for MySpace. Boyd notes in her chapter:

Analysts at two unnamed marketing research firms contacted me to say that they witnessed similar patterns with youth at a national level but they were unable to publicly discuss or publish their finding, but scholars and bloggers were more willing to share their findings.

Boyd’s current work argues that MySpace took on many of the aspects of a “digital ghetto” in the minds of teens who used the site, leading to “white [and asian] flight” from the site, analogous to the white flight from the city to the suburbs that took place in the U.S. beginning in the 1960′s. Boyd continues:

Consider the parallels. In some senses, the first teens to move to the “suburbs” were those who bought into a Teen Dream of collegiate maturity, namely those who were expressly headed towards dorm- ‐based universities and colleges. They were the elite who were given land in the new suburbs before plots were broadly available. The suburbs of Facebook signaled more mature living, complete with digital fences to keep out strangers. The narrative that these digital suburbs were safer than the city enhanced its desirability, particularly for those who had no interest in interacting with people who were different.

Boyd argues that MySpace’s inability to deal with spammers added to the feeling of urban blight that overtook the site, leaving derelict profiles “covered in spam, a form of digital graffiti… As MySpace failed to address these issues, spammers took over like street gangs.”

Subsequent media coverage of the “death of MySpace” was a direct result of this flight, says Boyd. For example, she cites a 2009 New York Times article that was entitled “Do You Know Anyone Still on MySpace?” despite the fact that at the time Facebook and MySpace has roughly equal numbers of users.

“The New York Times staff was on Facebook and assumed their readers were too,” concludes Boyd.

Intriguingly, the comments under that news item support Boyd’s thesis:

“My impression is that Myspace is for the riffraff and Facebook is for the landed gentry.”

“Compared to Facebook, MySpace just seems like the other side of the tracks – I’ll go there for fun, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

We know that was a long read but we didn’t want to leave anything out. Clearly there’s some statistical research to back up this point. How many folks still use MySpace? If you’re a former MySpacer, why did you leave? Do you think Facebook is better? What about Facebook makes it better?

Source

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More Houston

I went to Houston over the weekend to do some apartment hunting. Found a 2bdrm with washer and dryer and a ... fireplace. Who needs a fireplace when you live on the surface of the sun? Apparently I do... The rooms are kind of small, and the pool is.. well really a kiddie pool, but I only swim at my apartment 3x a year. I was really torn up about it, I usually don't EVER make a decision that quickly. I usually wait for , WEEKS! But I have 10 DAYS before I move! AHHH!!!



I ended up getting a really nice hotel room in a pretty fancy part of town. Right down the street from the Williams Water Wall. The most photographed thing in Houston. These are actually from my Nikon Coolpics!





And then I went window shopping. There are these huge arches that go over the street which I found pretty:


Hopefully I will like this apartment. gotta pack!

I am now a Priceline Convert.

I have to go to Houston next weekend to look for an apartment. just got a full size car for $15 a day for the weekend(cheaper than the airport shuttle) AND a room at the Hilton for $50 a night! I saved $225!! It is a little scary, you give them your price and enter your credit card info, and they find a hotel/car rental place willing to accept your price. When they do BAM! your card is charged. You don't get to pick which place you stay, just the location and type of hotel/car. But I think that this worked out well.

I have also started to actually put things in boxes. I have soooo much stuff. I feel like how those people on Clean House must feel before the yard sale. I have a ton of books and clothes that I am not going to read/wear anymore. The nearby Salvation army is gonna get a truckload of chick-lit and hipster t-shirts!

The Oil Spill

Oil has been pumping into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20th.
What is BP thinking?

Vacation

I finally had a vacation week! Instead of doing the responsible thing and going to Houston to find a place to live, I went to New York and Miami!

Fleet Week!

Manhattan at night from my Godmother's Jersey Condo:

Stood online at the TKTS booth in Times Square to get show tickets:

Took these pictures quick 'cause Only tourists Look Up

Walked down 5th avenue and found a magic mirror into my future:

aww

Rockefeller Center

Saw this show! It was great

Unfortunate address

The Original Bed Bath and Beyond in Brooklyn (Son!)

More Pics Here and Here

More Vacation!!!

I then flew to Miami for a wedding !

Picture from the Air plane

obligate picture of my feet on Miami Beach

Ice Sculpture of the Taj Mahal

mmmm Cake
The Happy Couple

But then the fun was over, and I had to fly home. I flew home on a Saturday and was not ready for my vacation to end. I continued it pool side at my Co-Op

Tan and Happy :)

Vacation Over, back to work!