Table of Contents Introduction: Welcome to Facebook! Culture Moving into the Digital Age: Identity and Capital digital Culture Research: Online Identity Theories Measuring a Virtual World: Methods Limitations

Even though many users I interviewed agreed that they spent "too much time" on Facebook and they thought they would do better in school if they didn't spend so much time on it, a recent study out of Pennsylvania State University found otherwise. They found that there was "no significant relationship between the number of hours spent on Facebook and the participants' reported cumulative grade point average when controlling for purpose of use, other online media use, time spent in other online social networks and school work" (Sundar 2007:http://www.psu.edu). Additionally, the study found that of the 150 respondents they received, 66.7% reported that they are logged into Facebook while simultaneously doing their homework, which could be a reason why there was not a significant relationship between usage and grade point average (Sundar 2007:http://www.psu.edu).

The statistics on Facebook usage do not lie. With more than 70 million active users (users who have logged in in the past 30 days), Facebook is the 5^th most trafficked website in the world (Facebook 2007:http://www.facebook.com). In interviews I asked, “how often do you log onto Facebook?” For people who do use Facebook, the answers varied:

• 
  “umm, mostly it’s a couple times a week but that’s because my computer is broken but now that my laptop works it’s probably once a day”
  
• 
  “probably like, 3 times a day”
  
• 
  “I only log into Facebook when I get those messages telling me that I have a message, so I would say I log in every 2 weeks maybe”
  
• 
  “probably once a week”
  
• 
  “7 times a week”
  
• 
  “A lot. Like, every time I go on the computer. I look at the news and then Facebook.”
  
• 
  “Like 12 times a day”
  
• 
  “3 or 4 times a day? Probably more, I just check the notifications, I don’t surf it. I check it every time I go on the internet.”
  

Finding out what was so “addictive” was one of the primary reasons for my research; I was fascinated at the statistics and the role Facebook took in my peers and my own everyday life. The quantitative research shows that of global internet users, in the past three months an average of 6.827% have used Facebook. The average user visits about 24 pages on Facebook per visit (Alexa 2008:http://www.alexa.com). I believe that the attraction to Facebook is rooted in the social theory behind social capital. When I talked to Trisha about what she thought about people who don’t use Facebook very much, she said: “um, I bet they do (giggles) I don’t know, I think that if you have a Facebook you probably do go on it a lot, and if you don’t you’re lying. I think that everyone probably checks to see what people are saying about them.” In addition to being curious to others’ written reactions and communications with someone, people area getting much more out of the interactions on Facebook than they think.

Like a person putting on a new outfit and making an appearance at a party to meet new people and exchange social information, Facebook users construct who they are online and exchange information with others to gain social capital. The information received in exchange for participation, the social capital, is so valuable to so many people I believe that it is the reason for the massive use of social networking websites like Facebook. It may seem superficial to conclude that “all our life’s a stage” and that we are just players, even in the online game of social networking, it is true. “It is probably no historical accident that the word person, in its first meaning, is a mask. It is rather recognition of the fact that everyone is always and everywhere, more or less consciously, playing a role… it is in these roles that we know each other; it is in these roles that we know ourselves” (Goffman 1959:1-24). Since there is no “true” self that exists to ourselves or to others, the roles we play are who we are, especially in the sense of the looking-glass self. Although the looking-glass self may play a role in why some users spend an extraordinary amount of time on Facebook, the average responses from both users and non-users is fascinating.

The heavy usage of Facebook stirs an emotional response in both frequent users as well as infrequent and non-users. Many people I talked to felt strongly about how much of a “waste of time” Facebook was for them and others, like Carrie: “I mean, I don’t want to [use Facebook], I personally don’t like using Facebook and it’s a waste of my time and of other people’s time. I personally don’t think it’s the best thing to do in spare time, I don’t want to say that it’s bad for other people, well, I guess I would like them to do something else, so I guess yes, I think it is a waste of their time.” Hannah agreed: “I think it’s a big time-suck, people put pictures on there, and I don’t know, it’s a little over the top for me. And I know my roommate spends a lot of time on it, like loading pictures onto the computer, I would rather be doing something else, plus I don’t know how to do any of that stuff. So. I’ve sort of avoided it.” This response was not uncommon and no one responded with an opposing adamant “love” for Facebook, probably due to the social taboos’ that correspond with that (see the section titled: A Secret Hobby: Facebook Outside of the Computer). I witnessed several accounts of college students surfing Facebook and getting mad that they “couldn’t stop.” When I asked why not, one person replied, “because I have [home] work to do.” Other students have mentioned the same problem, the more homework they have to do, the more time they spend on Facebook. These “marathon” sessions some have nicknamed “Facebook Binging.” As mentioned earlier, one study done at Pennsylvania State University found that the amount of time spent on Facebook is not correlated with grade point average. The same study brings up the issue of “priming” as a possible reason for heavy usage as well as the non-correlation between grades. “Priming states that a certain stimulus (the Internet) may "prime" the user to think of an additional semantically related concept (Facebook). After repeated exposure, this association becomes stronger. Therefore, when a participant sits down at his computer to start homework and/or check his e-mail, the usage of the Internet may prime him to immediately log into Facebook” (Sundar 2007: http://www.psu.edu). This also could explain the reason some users check Facebook as soon as they log online or right after they check their email.

The rising cultural emphasis in individualist societies for people to be independent, creative, and self-sufficient rather than function as a member in community-centered activities spill over into “digital culture” as well. These cultural demands do not satisfy the basic human need for connectedness and community, so it seems as if social networking websites and the development of new technologies (cell phones, laptop computers, etc) are filling the growing void of community and physical connectivity (Matei 2005:http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue3/matei.html). The new technology provides a socially acceptable outlet for people to remain connected while they are still alone, satisfying both the cultural desire to be independent and the human desire for connectedness. Social networking websites like Facebook fall into this setup easily, with palpable “networks” and visible connections. In addition to acquiring cultural and social capital, users may be spending so much time on Facebook to also satisfy a need to feel connected to others. The people I talked to who do not use Facebook, my deviant case sample, all commented that they keep up with their friends through other forms of communication. Writing letters and talking on the phone were the two ways most kept in contact with their friends and family.

Another popular social networking website, Myspace.com, still outranks Facebook in some areas (Alexa 2008:http://www.alexa.com). “All the kids at my [high] school have Facebook and Myspace,” Sean told me, “But they all like Myspace better.” He didn’t know why. Some reasons could include race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Rarely included in studies on specific social networking websites are data pertaining to these differentiations. "In particular, Hispanic students are significantly more likely to use MySpace than are Whites in the sample, while Asian and Asian American students are significantly less likely to use MySpace" (Hargittai 2007: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/hargittai.html). In addition: "Regarding parental education, students whose parents have lower levels of schooling are more likely to be MySpace users, whereas students whose parents have higher levels of education are more likely to be Facebook users" (Hargittai 2007: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/hargittai.html). These factors, along with issues dealing with ready access to a computer with internet capabilities and literacy, all play significant roles in why some people are able to become “addicted” to Facebook in the first place. This influences attitudes about different social networking websites as Jamie illustrated on why he uses Facebook:

…yeah I wouldn’t mind getting rid of it if it meant, the reason I keep having one is because I will always be able to see what other people are doing or keeping in contact with people without emailing really, and like, it’s just a really good way to keep up with everything. I don’t have Myspace because it’s too open for everyone and you see who goes on your profile, and it’s more for advertising yourself, whereas facebook is for friends.
This view was maintained with several of my informants even after Facebook opened up registration to anyone with a valid email (when it previously had required a University email). Now, Myspace and Facebook have the same registration requirements and privacy capabilities, but the preconceived opinions on the sites remain.

Re-Reading the Obvious: Facebook and the Looking-Glass Self

The looking-glass self is a theory on self-perception comprised of three parts: “the imagination of our appearance to the other person, the imagination of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification” (Cooley 1983:184). This famous concept could also be a potential “time suck” on Facebook. A phenomenon I discovered within my own usage of Facebook was that I spent a significant amount of time re-reading my own profile and looking at my own pictures repeatedly while logged in to a session. Often, I did this after looking at another person’s profile with the idea that I would re-read my own profile with the “mindset” of the person’s profile who I had just visited. Upon consulting friends, it became clear that I was not the only one who participated in this activity. When I asked Susan if she knew what I meant by re-reading her own information even though she already knows what it says she replied: “I do that sometimes to try to get an idea of what the other person might think of my profile or what they might think about me. It’s really weird!” It was hard to get good information on this topic from informants out of fear that they might seem overly-narcissistic. When I asked Steven, another informant, he replied: “yeah, but I just have the very basic stuff, but I do look at it, sometimes I’ll go through my pictures and be like, ‘I wonder what they think’- like what people think when they see my pictures.” Another college student I interviewed, Caroline, told a story that truly exhibits the relationship between Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self and Facebook:

Well, like the other day, I just became friends with this girl from elementary school, and I looked at her pictures and noticed like how skinny this girl was, so then I went, and I was just looking at her body, and then I went on mine and looked at mine and at how my body looked, and sometimes I’ll go and look at groups of people I’m with, and like, what people from home think about me and my friends here together, and what people here may think about me and my friends at home together. And I’ll look at how many times certain people are in my pictures with me.
This example can be analyzed using the three parts of Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self: first, the imagination of our appearance to the other person being Caroline’s ideas on what her elementary school friend thought she looked like in the Facebook pictures (in this example, the catalyst is Caroline comparing her body to that of her friends’), second, what Caroline imagined her elementary school friend thought of how Caroline looked, and third, her own self-feeling of pride, mortification, satisfaction, etc in reaction to how Caroline thinks of herself as a result of knowing her friend saw her pictures (Cooley 1983:184). With this sort of analysis, each time a Facebook user refers back to his or her profile or pictures as a reference for his or her online identity, he or she is using the looking-glass self to evaluate him or herself. The reason this phenomena falls under the category of heavy Facebook usage is because the act of reviewing one’s profile repeatedly increases the amount of time spent on the Facebook as a whole. Although most users reported that if they did participate in this type of activity, it was not frequently, a few informants openly talked with me about how often they did do this.

Surfing the News Feed: Facebook Stalkers

The addictive nature of Facebook can lead to what is referred to popularly as “Facebook Stalking,” a term applied to users who may spend an excessive amount of time (~30 minutes or more) looking at others’ profiles and other elements of Facebook (Facebook Stalkers is only the most popular term from a long list that includes Facebook Junkies, Facebook Addicts, and Facebookers). When I asked Sarah what Facebook stalking was she talked about another type of Facebook stalking associated with finding out who someone is:

So, for instance, if you don’t know who someone is, people will probably, immediately, go to Facebook and type in their name and look them up, especially if you like a boy, or someone said something about this girl, or if you just like to be on the computer a lot, you just can take the time to go on it. I just don’t have the attention span to be on it for that long, I just get really… I can only look at one person’s profile and then I’m overwhelmed… I think some people, well, just from talking to my friend, they’ve read wall to wall posts [a page that allows users to view wall post conversations between two people], you know how you can see corresponding... the whole history of the conversation, and then they’ll definitely see people looking at all the pictures and clicking on the people’s friends, and just, I mean it helps if your lives are connected, cause, one of my friends goes to Cornell and one goes to GW and American and NW and a lot of those kids come from the same place and a lot of them do study abroad things and end up doing them together, and the fact that they’ve been Facebook stalking, they’re familiar with people and so when you talk about, “oh my friend, whatever” someone else will be like “oh yeah that person!” but they don’t know them but they are aware of them though, just like that.
Facebook stalking generally has a negative connotation, due to the known fact that if someone does spend a significant amount of time on Facebook then they are not just looking at their profile; they are looking at other people’s information in detail. In contrast with the true meaning of the word “stalker,” a Facebook Stalker does not pose any real threat to Facebook users or real-life friends. Other jargon related to Facebook Stalkers include the word creepy (or as a noun, “creeper”): “It’s just creepy that someone would spend so much time looking at other people’s information on Facebook.” Similar to the fear of the outside world “invading” and “taking information,” as is discussed earlier with information being sold and employers looking at Facebook to pass judgment on a potential client, a Facebook Stalker comes into question because what could one person possibly be so interested in that is on Facebook? The reason that this isn’t a serious fear and it is only viewed as “creepy” is that many active members of Facebook do participate in “Facebook Binges,” which once in a while is considered acceptable, but too often would be considered stalking. This is why many active users would be considered by others to be Facebook Stalkers but they would never classify themselves as one unless it was a joke. Facebook Stalking also implies that the person doing the stalking would be inside, on a computer, for an extended amount of time. The associations with that (nerdy-ness, geeky-ness) go hand in hand with what is associated with a Facebook Stalker.

Whether or not these Facebook “binges” are a result of a need for a social capital boost is questionable. It seems, from my ethnographic data, that these marathon sessions usually occur as a form of procrastination: while at work in a cubicle or before a large assignment is due for school or as a solution to boredom. While these sessions may be covertly beneficial, to gain more cultural and social capital, they are looked down upon socially. The existence of the Facebook Stalker further proves that Facebook users are unaware of the actual existence and benefits of social and cultural capital. Their existence is unknown, as is further explained by the popular response to why people like Facebook so much: “I don’t know.” It remains an unknown factor to why most people like it as a communication tool: “Why do you think so many people use Facebook?”

“So they can see what everyone else is doing… The reason I keep having one is because I will always be able to see what other people are doing or keeping in contact with people without emailing really, and like, it’s just a really good way to keep up with everything. ”

One qualitative study done on digital relationships found that: “convenience, easy access,

low cost and enjoyment are the main drivers when using electronic communications media to maintain social connections" (Dwyer 2007:5). This may be true, however, the reasons behind the convenience and enjoyment lies within the social theory already presented in this paper.

A Secret Hobby: Facebook Outside of the Computer

Through my research, I have found that in many circumstances Facebook is very taboo to talk about. The topic of Facebook in conversation is acceptable to talk about as a joke and with close friends. New acquaintances, especially upon first meeting, are inappropriate figures to talk with about Facebook specifics due to the social implications that could arise. One does not want to come off as a “Facebook Stalker.” In a conversation with Caroline, we talked about confronting people with one of the most valued informational sources Facebook provides, the “relationship status,” which can link users to the person they are involved with on each persons’ profile.

“well, have you ever found out about a relationship through Facebook and then asked someone about it?”

“NO, but I almost did just now, with two people who have obviously been in a relationship just put it on Facebook today, and I saw that person walk by and my first thought was like “oh, so”

“but you didn’t say anything to them? Why not?”

“no, I don’t know? It probably would have been kind of awkward. And you know what went through my head? Like, I pictured this person being like “oh so, you already checked the news feed, like… [a stalker]”

With the extremely high usage patterns and explosive growth of Facebook as well as other social networking sites, the question as to why these sites are so popular and interesting to people can be answered by applying social theory from Bourdieu (forms of capital), Cooley (looking-glass self), and Goffman (contrived performances).

The point of this study was to examine how Facebook users construct their online profile identities and how that affects their off-line identity. Through analyzing and applying the social theory to the reasons people register for (and don’t) Facebook, identity construction through the profile page, and the addictive nature of Facebook, I can conclude that initially, people may join Facebook for ease in communication with friends, but once they begin to become more involved they use it to increase their cultural and social capital and to create and reinforce their own identity (both online and offline).

This study would benefit from further research among a more diverse age group of Facebook users; my primary informants were college students between the ages of 20 and 23 years old. I think that this study would also benefit from research done specifically by country of user. This might illustrate interesting differences in how more communal societies use Facebook in comparison with individualistic societies.

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