Interactions - January/February 2009

“fans” of political candidates or causes; thus we may learn that a colleague we respect is a fan of a political candidate we oppose. The inclusion of political views in site profiles allows users to be exposed to differing viewpoints, potentially increasing discourse and even tolerance among those with opposing ideas.

findings apply to other groups or what kinds of features best support these needs.

• How can the mobilizing power of social network sites increase community and political engagement, especially among traditionally disenfranchised groups? As social network sites are adopted by broader segments of society, how will usage practices, risks, and benefits change? As highlighted by survey work by Eszter Hargattai [ 6], choice of social network site is influenced by cultural and socio-economic factors, which may limit individuals’ opportunities to interact with those from different backgrounds. Are all SNS users getting the same benefits from their use? How can we overcome these barriers, or at least minimize their impact?

For designers and creators of these systems, these questions highlight the need to better understand how they must adapt in order to support diverse populations and goals. In the simplest case, these adaptations could mean revising profile categories to better align with different cultural contexts (e.g., shielding work colleagues from identity information such as sexual orientation).

We do not mean to suggest that all social network site activity is positive. Personal information about others may be used to broker productive interaction, but it could also reinforce existing stereotypes, making them more intractable. Personal information may be misused by marketing agents or used for nefarious purposes such as stalking, bullying, and identity theft. But overall we

are hopeful that the technical and social affordances of these sites may contribute to positive social outcomes by enabling individuals to talk, act, and connect with diverse strangers, acquaintances, and friends.

Evolving Use and
the Need for New Research

Overall, we believe that the potential for positive social outcomes is great. Clearly, by any measure, social network sites are changing the way we form and maintain our relationships with others, with demonstrable benefits. As they evolve and spread, we expect network effects to occur and their social utility to increase. Many questions remain, however, for researchers, designers, and practitioners, including:

• How can the power of social network sites be leveraged in other contexts, including formal organizations? Research on corporate social network sites, like IBM’s internal SNS Beehive, suggests that users welcome learning more about their colleagues’ lives, and that this information is used to facilitate social interactions that directly and indirectly support job-related tasks.

• How can social network sites support individuals as they make life transitions, such as moving to a new city or starting a new job? Our research on Facebook suggests that such sites can help students maintain past connections and initiate new relationships during their transition to college, but we don’t yet understand how these

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Nicole Ellison is an assistant professor in the department of telecommunication, information studies, and media at

Michigan State University. Her research explores issues of self-presentation, relationship development, and identity in online environments such as online dating services and social network sites. Currently, she is exploring the social capital implications of Facebook use, educational applications of SNSs, and the nature of “friends” online. Nicole received her Ph.D. in communication theory and research from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC.

Charles Steinfield is a professor and chair in the department of telecommunication, information studies, and media at Michigan

State University. His research interests include the uses of online social networks, individual and organizational collaboration via ICT, and e-com-merce. He is currently pursuing projects on social capital and online SNS use, collective action and the diffusion of information technology standards, and ICT use in knowledge-oriented business clusters.

Cliff Lampe is an assistant professor in the department of telecommunication, information studies, and media at Michigan State University. His Ph.D.

is from the School of Information at the University of Michigan. He studies social interactions in online environments, including Facebook, Slashdot, Everything2, and SourceForge. In particular, he’s interested in the use of information technology to support collective action.

[ 6] Hargattai, E. “Whose Space? Differences Among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13, no. 1 (2007). <http://jcmc. indiana.edu/vol13/ issue1/ hargittai.html>