Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
research seminars and educational products, which
can be subscribed to within iTunes (http://www.
iriss.ac.uk/audio). In addition, this SNS features an
open access repository of human services related
content called the Learning Exchange (http://www.
iriss.ac.uk/openlx/).
There are also numerous networks for specific
human services client populations. For instance,
people addicted to alcohol and other drugs can
identify treatment options and get peer support
within SoberCircle (http://www.sobercircle.
com/). Sobercircle blogs and chats offer a place
for clients in recovery to voice their struggles with
addiction and seek support from others. Separate
forums for social service professionals allow those
who counsel people recovering from addiction to
connect and share ideas. PatientsLikeMe (http://
www.patientslikeme.com/) allows people dealing
with certain life altering neurological conditions
such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease to
share their experiences, find similar patients, and
learn from the latest research. People with mood
disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder) are
also supported within the site. The philosophy of
open sharing within PatientsLikeMe allows people
to discuss their treatment histories anonymously
so others can benefit from information about
successful approaches. Although we have been
focusing on SNSs used primarily by teens and
adults, there are also sites, such as ClubPenguin
(http://www.clubpenguin.com/) and Imbee (http://
imbee.com/) that are designed for and used by
younger children, ages 8-14. These sites have
stricter privacy controls and require a parent's
email to sign up.
Finally, there is significant diversity in the
SNS user population. A person's gender, race and
ethnicity, and parental educational background, for
instance, are all associated with SNS use.Accord-
ing to the Pew Internet and American Life studies
in the United States, older girls ages 15-17 are
more likely to have created an online profile on
a social network site (70%), while only 57% of
online boys have done so (Lenhart et al., 2007).
Hargittai (2007), in studying college students'
differential adoption of online social network
sites, found differences in the percentage of racial
and ethnic groups that used four popular SNSs
(Facebook, MySpace, Xanga and Friendster).
Hispanics favored MySpace over Facebook and
other sites. Students ofAsian background favored
Friendster and Xanga. BothAfricanAmericans and
Caucasian students used MySpace and Facebook
more than the other two sites in the study. Using
parental education as a measure of family income,
Hargattai (2007) also found that students with
parents who had less than a high school diploma
were significantly more likely to be on MySpace
than Facebook. Students whose parents had a
college degree where significantly more likely to
use Facebook. However, it is important to note
that this study was completed before Facebook
opened its membership to everyone. Previously
only those with a college email could use Face-
book. Next we turn to the theoretical foundations
underlying this chapter.
tHeoretical founDationS
Not surprisingly, given that people's use of online
social network sites is a relatively recent phenom-
enon, much of the published research on the use
of SNSs is still emerging. The handful of studies
that exist stem mostly from communications,
information science, anthropology, sociology,
economics, political science, cultural studies,
and computer science and are both conceptual
and empirical in nature (boyd & Ellison, 2007).
Very few studies explore the link between social
network site use and education. For instance,
Hewitt and Forte (2006) examined how college
age students feel about having their professors on
Facebook, and Mazer, Murphy & Simonds (2007)
investigated how faculty presence on Facebook
impacts student-educator relationships, but these
studies do not deal directly with
students'
experi-
ences in using online social network sites and how
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