Essay Describes Class Divisions Between Facebook and Myspace

According to an essay by Danah Boyd, many teens are beginning to choose Facebook over MySpace as their social networking site of choice. Boyd, however, suggests that not all teens are making the switch, and that there is a sharp and growing divide between users of each site.

In the essay, titled "Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace," Boyd divides teenagers into two groups: the "hegemonic teens" and the "subaltern teens."

Hegemonic teens are, in Boyd's words, "The goodie two shoes, jocks, athletes, or other 'good' kids." They tend to come from families that preach the importance of a college education, are primarily white, and tend to be popular in school. These teenagers tend to use Facebook, says Boyd.

On the other hand, Boyd describes subaltern teens as "kids who didn't play into the dominant high school popularity paradigm." These might include minorities, immigrants, punks, goths, and other "outsider" groups who don't fit into the dominant high school social structure. According to Boyd, they are less likely to go to college, and more likely to use MySpace.

While Boyd proposes many reasons for this divide, the most prominent may lie in Facebook's origins. As Facebook was once exclusively for college students, it became the "cool" site for those both in and headed for college, Boyd says.

MySpace may also have been hurt by negative media coverage in recent years. When stories about online predators and the dangers of leaving personal information online became prominent, MySpace was the primary target. This hurt MySpace's image in general, and especially among the hegemonic teens, Boyd suggests.

Boyd also found a similar divide in the military. According to the essay, officers tend to favor Facebook, while soldiers are on MySpace.