Uses and Gratifications

There are some nice insights in this study. I like that they used the focus group method because it allows users of social media to really talk about their experiences and motivations behind all their Facebooking and Myspace-ing. The people in the study groups enjoyed the ease and instant-gratification of using these social media sites to keep in touch and connect with family and friends. Also echoed in this study and our Burkitt reading was the power to construct your own online identity, which could be done by selecting what your interests and hobbies are and also by who you friend on the sites. I think it's interesting that we can safely present ourselves in the way, that we can "efficient way to tailor one’s appearance from the comfort of [our own] home[s]" (226). I was a bit intrigued by the bit about "scene kids" bit, especially because it seemed to come out of nowhere in the study (I do remember them being a thing back in high school though.) Another interesting point in the article was that is was very common for people to kind of snoop around other people's Facebook or Myspace pages, yet most people did not feel comfortable being snooped on themselves.