boyd writes: “In some senses, the division in the perception and use of MySpace and Facebook seems obvious given that we know that online environments are a reflection of everyday life. Yet, the fact that such statements are controversial highlights a widespread techno-utopian belief that the internet will once and for all eradicate inequality and social divisions.”

In a different context, Zadie Smith writes: “Shouldn’t we struggle against Facebook? … Poking, because that’s what shy boys do to girls they are scared to talk to. Preoccupied with personal trivia, because Mark Zuckerberg thinks the exchange of personal trivia is what “friendship” is. A Mark Zuckerberg Production indeed! We were going to live online. It was going to be extraordinary. Yet what kind of living is this? Step back from your Facebook Wall for a moment: Doesn’t it, suddenly, look a little ridiculous? Your life in this format?”

On the whole, would you say that your social networking experience is more like an extension of your everyday life, as boyd suggests, or that it’s a bleached or distorted version of it?

Make specific reference to Boyd and or Smith’s arguments.

Due: 4/28, 5:00 PM. Submit answer on bSpace assignment page.

For questions about the length or style of the essay, review the assignment guidelines.