Online segregation

Online segregation refers to the unintentional segregation of people on the Internet, which is often believed to be a democratizing tool used to bring equality among people. For example, popular social network services such as MySpace and Facebook have been argued to magnify social, political, and class divides that already exist in the real world.^[1]

Danah Boyd, who wrote a paper on segregation among social networks, stated, "MySpace has become the ghetto of the digital landscape," and that users were leaving MySpace for Facebook, akin to the white flight that took place during the 1950s and 1960s in the United States.^[1] During her research, Boyd also found that the people she surveyed often noted that MySpace was seen as "black" and Facebook as "white". In addition, she also observed that people of a certain race would typically befriend people of the same race, thereby mimicking the self-segregation that also exists in real life.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Reagan, Gillian (2009-06-29). "In the Battle Between Facebook and MySpace, A Digital 'White Flight'". New York Observer. http://www.observer.com/2009/media/battle-between-facebook-and-myspace-digital-white-flight. Retrieved 2010-07-24. 
2. ^ Olopade, Dayo (2009-09-16). "MySpace to Facebook = White Flight?". The Root. http://www.theroot.com/views/myspace-facebook-white-flight. Retrieved 2010-07-24.