Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 6.2
Facebook users and penetration rates by world region, December 2011
Users
(millions)
Penetration
Rate
Europe
223
27.4
Asia
184
4.7
North America
175
50.3
Latin America and Caribbean
147
25.5
Africa
38
3.6
Middle East
17
8.4
Oceania
13
37.7
Source Internetworldstats.com
Fig. 6.4
Map of Facebook users worldwide, December 2011. Source internetworldstats.com
identities are never fixed or given, but fluid, multiple, contingent, context-depen-
dent, and always under construction.
Theorizations of the number and quality of ties that individuals share owe much
to the important contribution of Grannovetter (
1985
), who, in studying the em-
beddedness of the economy within culture, differentiated between strong and weak
ties. Drawing on a long tradition of sociological theory, including Emile Durkheim's
mechanical and organic solidarity, Ferdinand Tonnies's Gemeinschaft and Gesell-
schaft, as well as that of the Chicago School's Louis Wirth, Granovetter held that
strong ties are characterized by high degrees of repeated interaction, trust, and
emotional sustenance, such as those with family members and close friends. Weak
ties, in contrast, tend to be more casual, instrumental, fleeting, and utilitarian.
Generations of sociologists noted that urbanization tended to reduce the number of
strong ties, enhancing alienation, and increase the number of weak ties. In highly
developed socioeconomic contexts, weak ties vastly outnumber strong ones, and
they are vital to the accumulation of social capital and professional success.
There can be little question that digital networks offer the opportunity for forming
numerous weak ties. However, the degree to which telemediated interactions
translate into powerful interpersonal connections is debatable. The literature on
this issue, which has a long history, reveals two contrasting positions (Nie
2001
).
