The Urbanization of The Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Urbanization of The Internet - Essay Example By looking at Myspace and Facebook we can see the same fear, flight, and the slow reintegration that that is characteristic of American cultural attitudes. Myspace, one of the original social networks, was created to be open to everyone, while Facebook was exclusive. Loose security at Myspace made the site a haven for predators, danger, and disreputable behavior. Facebook was established to eliminate the perils that were inherent on Myspace. It was created as a college only site, which had the socio-economic implication that the poor and uneducated need not apply. This is similar to the racial fear of the previous half-century that saw the white population fleeing the decaying inner cities for the exclusivity of suburbia. This same phenomenon was echoed in the creation of Facebook. Myspace continued to be a haven for deviance and what Danah Boyd calls the "subaltern teens", while Facebook had attracted a more urbanite client base with an 'invitation only' strategy. Social networking requires that friends exist on the same system. This is consistent with the changing landscape of America's socio-economic division.