A recent Nielsen study shows social networking determines your social class in the society. Think about Facebook and LinkedIn, these are two social networks where most members are wealthier people or have higher status in the society; while college students mostly use MySpace and Friendster.
Moreover, the study reveals that Facebook and LinkedIn users earn more than $100,000 dollars annually.
Like a lot of people, Jamie Galvin began using MySpace more than four years ago to keep in touch with friends while still studying college. But sooner, as soon as she graduated, she felt too old for the social networking site. At first, the customizable pages with the capability to play music were good, but it became a nuisance later on.
So she ceased using MySpace and began switching to Facebook, which had come to represent the whole of her social life and professional endeavors. Is there a social divide in social networks?
Yes, there is. The research shows people in more affluent demographics are 25 percent more likely to be creating networks in Facebook and LinkedIn while the less affluent are 37 percent more likely to connect through MySpace.
In essence, each has its own group of people connecting – for Facebook, it is white-collar and for MySpace, it’s blue-collar people. But the truth speaks it is not a matter of choice but a switch from one end to the other end, which can also be attributed to the better features as well as its safety.
Also, its history might have something to do with it too. Facebook originated from Harvard and was limited to students at approved colleges before opening itself to public. MySpace on the other hand had a “come on, come all” concept aimed towards monetization. It reached a point where ads are out of quality.