What is a social network system (SNS)? (Act two)

Second Act

Social networking sites can be analyzed using several methodologies: sociology, ethnography, by using communication models, using political models and through the lens of violence. What enables the multitude of analyses is the fact that users of these virtual spaces conceptualize them as real spaces, and each user brings with them social norms and behaviors to be incorporated into the virtual environment. These norms include concepts of civility, identity, and body (or self). Identity, body and civilization can all be injured in virtual environments through encounters with liars - those who mask their true virtual identity (such as with viral videos and blogs). Users of the online communities are offended by these encounters because in order to interact with a community online you have to be able to trust in it. The user is essentially participating in a willing suspension of disbelief, but must be able to trust the other performers in order to participate fully in the community. What happens when a community fails to trust? Either the community disintegrates, such as with Friendster, or the community rallies and defines itself, as with Dibbell’s MUD experience.

Trust is a critical issue of social networks. Keen highlights this point in his discussion of anonymity versus known authorship. While Keen argues that the validity of a source is inherently tied into the identity of the author - his social background, ethnicity, income level, etc. (he’s a bit of an elitist)- perhaps some proponents of social networks would argue that knowledge is the only true commodity of social networks and that a user who proves a reliable source of knowledge is valued regardless of identity or anonymity. Further, boyd and Ellis’s research confirms that users of social networks who adopt alternate identities (either as a family pet, a celebrity, or as an iconic character) are not shunned by social networking communities, but are rather embraced by them.

Yet how do libraries and librarians fit into these discussions? A clear connection between librarians and Keen, as Tenopir highlights, is the quest for truth and trustworthy sources. Social networking provides librarians and libraries a unique opportunity to branch out into various communities and to create these trustworthy source networks.

There is another aspect of this discussion which the various articles didn't necessarily touch upon, and that is the argument about education, learning experiences and library-sponsored access. SNSs provide a valuable opportunity for individuals to learn inter- and intrapersonal communication skills. Further, SSNs encourage new pathways of communication. It has also been pointed out that social networks are ideal for allowing teens to invest in a project which they build themselves, a critical element of Vygotsky's pedagogy. (For more information on this, see the YALSA Toolkit for Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries) What all of this means is that librarians and educators can work together to ensure that teens have safe access to SNSs within the library so that they can learn various communication skills. The development of these skills is so vauable that boyd and Ellison (2007) point out that librarians have been fighting to retain access to SNSs for their teen patrons, even in the face of concerns about sexual and criminal predation.