Bridging the Virtual and the Real
Identity and Community on the Facebook
Jenny Ryan
Professor Traube
Introduction
Each day, hundreds of thousands of college and high school students across the globe log onto the Facebook, an online directory that connects users through a variety of locality- and institutionally-based social networks. The Facebook was launched in February, 2004, and has since exploded in popularity. Out of 2,200 colleges registered on the Facebook, 85% of students have profiles, accounting for most of Facebook's 7.5 million members. Out of these, 60% log in daily, 85% weekly, and 93% log in at least once a month . Recently, Facebook has added both high school and corporate networks, representing 22,000 high schools and 2,000 companies. The Facebook's press page states that it is currently the seventh most-trafficked site in the United States, with two-thirds of people returning daily, spending an average of 20 minutes on the site each time they log in .
In researching for this paper, I've incorporated my own extensive personal experiences on the Facebook, casual conversations about various aspects of the Facebook (which occur nearly daily), current articles about the Facebook, information extracted from the Facebook website itself, as well as a wealth of literature on online communities and identity formation on the Internet. The Facebook has rapidly become part of the daily lives of practically everyone I know. It is a space for both projecting one's personal identity via personal profiles as well as for confirming and strengthening social bonds through the virtual representation of groups, friendship networks, and events.
This paper discusses the history of online social networking leading up to the Facebook, placing the Facebook in the context of the evolution of mainstream Internet popularity and interactivity. Secondly, I describe in detail the mechanics of the Facebook, including the creation of unique user profiles as well as the interactive and social elements of the Facebook. Third, I discuss a few of the debates and concerns that arose in my research, mainly issues of privacy, discussions of power, and dissent from the social pressure to be involved with the Facebook. Finally, I explore the elements of identity formation and virtual community development, incorporating some of the recent literature regarding virtual communities.
History
Social structure becomes actually visible in an anthill; the movements and contacts one sees are not random but patterned. We should also be able to see structure in the life of an American community if we had a sufficiently remote vantage point, a point from which persons would appear to be small moving dots. . . . We should see that these dots do not randomly approach one another, that some are usually together, some meet often, some never. . . . If one could get far enough away from it human life would become pure pattern .
The trend toward forming online social networks began in 1997 with the creation of SixDegrees.com, based on the 1923 theory of Frigyes Karinthy that anyone on earth can be connected to another through a chain of six acquaintance s. Based on this premise, SixDegrees.com allowed users to provide their names, as well as create a list of acquaintances and friends who would then be invited to join the network. Users would then be able to view other users up to six degrees of separation.
In the decade since, online social networks have proliferated to such an extent that they are now among the most visited sites on the Internet. These communities often allow users to view the ways in which two random individuals are connected to one another. Friendster, a site now viewed as the predecessor to the more highly-acclaimed Facebook, was based on the premise of online social networking, yet also allowed users to create profiles, post pictures, and write "testimonials" on other users' profiles. The site became hugely popular amongst college students, but did not quite reach the level of "community" due to its limited interactivity and not-quite-universal popularity.
In using the term "online social network," I am consciously distinguishing between the concept of a "social network" and that of a "virtual community". In an article entitled " Computer Networks as Social Networks: Collaborative Work, Telework, and Virtual Community", Barry Wellman et al; discuss the recent emergence of online social networks, which provide the foundation for virtual communities. The development of online social networking has allowed for the creation of virtual communities that transcend spatial and physical limitations, often in more creative and uninhibited ways. Howard Rheingold, who coined the term "virtual community" in 1993, seeks to debunk the critique that virtual communities are alienating and superficial through a discussion of the merits of both strong and weak social ties in the formation of identity and knowledge:
A social network with a mixture of strong ties, familial ties, lifelong friend ties, marital ties, business partner ties, is important for people to obtain the fundamentals of identity, affection, emotional and material support. But without a network of more superficial relationships, life would be harder and less fun in many ways. Weaker ties multiply people's social capital, useful knowledge, ability to get things done (361).
The first virtual community that emerged out of online social networking to achieve widespread popularity was MySpace.com, currently home to over 77 million users. In contrast to the more simple online social networking sites, MySpace emphasizes user blogs and user-designed profile pages. The ability to truly craft one's virtual space, while at the same time being connected to an enormous database of virtual as well as "real-life" friends, sparked a pop culture revolution. Users communicate primarily through sharing and commenting on intimate blogs, and it is this emotional support and sense of reciprocity that contributes to the community nature of MySpace.
While definitely lacking the high degree of support and emotional involvement characteristic of MySpace, I argue that the Facebook more concretely bridges the gap between "real life" and virtual life. First, in order to join the university network of the Facebook, one must have a legitimate college e-mail address, confirming that they are in fact who they say they are. Secondly, users can send messages to one another, as well as to groups they have created or joined that may or may not be representative of actual student groups and organizations. Third, the "photo album" feature enables students to share pictures they have taken, and upon "tagging" another Facebook member, that member is sent e-mail notification that a picture of her has been posted on the Facebook. Finally, users can create "event" pages and invite friends and groups, who are also notified via e-mail, a feature primarily used to invite vast numbers of people to parties, lectures, political events, and performances on campus. Beyond these features mirroring life outside of the Internet, the Facebook is equally an online social network, where users can view each others' friends and are told how they are related to random users through degrees of separation.
Log In, Tune Out, Turn On
The exotic nature of the Facebook to non-users warrants a rich description of this "virtual world". Back in 2004, when I first became a member, the Facebook was reserved for college students alone. When I began the registration process, I was asked to provide my college e-mail address in order to provide evidence that I was indeed a college student. Once my legitimate college-student identity was established, I was then told to create a user profile.
The profile consists of seven categories: basic information, contact information, personal information, work details, upcoming break plans, courses, and photos. In the first category, one is able to detail her sex, whether she is "interested in" men or women, the type of relationship she is looking for (friendship, dating, a relationship, random play, or "whatever I can get"), college residence, academic concentrations, birthday, high school, and hometown. Contact information includes e-mail address, home address, phone numbers, online screen name, school mailbox, and websites. Users are also able to limit the visibility of this information to their friends, friends of friends, or the entire college network. Personal information includes political views (very liberal, liberal, moderate, conservative, very conservative, or "other"), interests, favorite music, favorite TV shows, favorite movies, favorite books, favorite quotes, and an open-ended "about me" section.
Additionally, users may detail who they work for, what they do, where they work, and how long they've held the job. "Break Plans" is an ever-changing category: in the spring one can fill out spring break plans, in the summer, summer plans, in the winter, winter break plans, to name a few. Finally, users can detail the courses they are currently taking, which then links them to other users enrolled in the same course (profoundly useful when looking for class notes or homework assignment information!). One of the most prized features is the photo feature. Users can upload a photo to represent their Facebook identity, and this is one of the features members are constantly updating, as photos become available to them at an ever-increasing rate. This brings us to the interactive elements of the Facebook.
The basic concept of the Facebook hinges not on independent user profiles, but rather on social networking and community reinforcement. New members face the time-consuming task of searching for their friends on the Facebook and asking them to confirm their Facebook friendship. Additionally, users can detail when, where, and how they became friends with that person. Furthermore, users can also detail "relationship status," by listing themselves as single, in a relationship, in an open relationship, engaged, married, or "it's complicated". Users can then ask their significant other to confirm the status of their relationship on the Facebook, which is then listed on that user's profile.
One of the newest features of the Facebook is the Photo Album feature. Not only can users upload photo albums onto their profile, but they can also caption each photo and "tag" any element in that photo. For example, I can click on my own face in a picture I have uploaded, and then write "Me" in the box provided. When viewing my profile afterwards, it will list how many photos have been uploaded of me, including photos from other members' albums who have "tagged" my name.
Perhaps the most useful element of the Facebook is the ability to create events and invite other users. When an event is created, a user can describe the type of event (party, causes, education, meeting, music/art, trips, sports, or "other"), give the event a name and a "tagline", list pertinent information regarding contact, location, and time, mark the event as either private or public, and create a guest list. Upon creating the guest list, all those invited are sent an e-mail with a link to the event profile, whereupon they can mark whether they are "definitely attending," "maybe attending," or "not attending". The event host can choose whether to allow the guest list to be shown or not, and whether the event is open or private. Afterwards, those attending the event are shown reminders of its time and location when they log onto their Facebook account.
Users can also create or join groups in a variety of categories, including student groups, sports and recreation, organizations, sports, common interests, entertainment and arts, geography, internet and technology, business, music, or "just for fun". Once a user creates or joins a group, that group is then listed on her profile. The group profiles contain message boards and a photo album feature, allowing for extensive communication and the creation of a visible group identity. Additionally, users can send private messages to one another as well as to entire groups to which they belong.
Furthermore, Facebook members can contribute to message board discussions in practically every domain: beneath photos, on group profiles, on event profiles, and on other users' profiles as well. This feature is called "the wall," and is part of what makes the Facebook such an interactive experience. Feedback from other users makes the Facebook highly addictive, for who could resist an e-mail telling you that another user has just commented on a picture of you, and that access to that comment is as simple as clicking on the link provided in the e-mail? Once a member has gone through the time-consuming process of creating a profile, asking other users to be their friends, joining groups and uploading photo albums, they have truly created a virtual representation of their "real" life. Like all forms of identity production, for many people feedback from others is what makes the process worthwhile and valid. However, the debates concerning privacy, power over a sphere that is both crafted for and crafted by members, and the social pressure to join the Facebook are very controversial issues that complicate analysis of identity and community formation, and it is to these topics that I turn to next.
Privacy, Power, and Dissent
Beyond mere distribution of demographic data to marketers, Facebook may also give information to law enforcement and government agencies. Of particular interest in the stated privacy policy was the following:
Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law, to protect our interests or property, to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through the Facebook service or using the Facebook name, or to prevent imminent bodily harm. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies .
One user's profile picture is a simple image stating, "Facebook sold us to the CIA", and the profile itself is composed of entirely inaccurate personal information. While theories regarding ties to the CIA abound on the Internet, there is too little evidence to warrant discussion of the issue. However, of particular interest to many of my interviewees was the potential for legal forces using information garnered through Facebook profiles regarding illegal activity. It is not uncommon to find photos of underage students drinking or of students smoking pot, and references to drug consumption and preferences abound in profiles and "Wall" messages. Indeed, there have been instances of faculty and law enforcement using Facebook information as grounds for punishment at schools across the United States, and there is even a Wesleyan Facebook group entitled "Facebook Fucked Me Over and Now P-safe Wants My Balls", which hosts 12 members. A recent article regarding the Facebook states:
A Duquesne University student was asked to write a paper because the Facebook group he created was deemed homophobic. Students at Northern Kentucky University were charged with code violations when a keg was seen in a dorm-room picture online, and a University of Oklahoma student was visited by the Secret Service because of assassination references in comments regarding President Bush.
When presented with the above information, most of my interviewees were slightly surprised, but far from shocked. Would it change their decision over whether or not they would use Facebook? The answer was a unanimous "no".
Nora: Ick! Ok, that would scare me but I don't have any bad pics up so I'm not scared personally.
Max L: I would be more scared of advertisers, law enforcement doesn't actually concern me that much... in part due to wiretap laws and, again, the sheer volume of information on not just the Facebook but the web in general.
The issue of privacy often elicited discussions of power: to what degree can government agencies and law enforcement utilize information provided freely on the Facebook, and how can members control what information is visible and to whom? In light of these recent questions, the Facebook has recently provided a new option called "Limited Profile," through which users can select parts of their profile to be made hidden from specific individuals. Furthermore, Facebook has also developed a "Privacy Summary" so that members may review what aspects of their profile and photo albums are made viewable to others. Outside of the campus setting, only friends of members can see their profiles, and this setting cannot be altered. While the Facebook attempts to send users the message that they have a high degree of control over who can view their information, this information is nevertheless stored on a comprehensive database that at any time could potentially be sold to a third party:
If the ownership of all or substantially all of the Facebook business, or individual business units owned by Facebook, Inc., were to change, your user information may be transferred to the new owner so the service can continue operations. In any such transfer of information, your user information would remain subject to the promises made in any pre-existing Privacy Policy .
In my personal experience, I have noted that there is a great deal of societal pressure to be on the Facebook. Individuals who are not on the Facebook are often chastised, and typically face the repeated question, "why not?" For some people, there are several good reasons why not to join the Facebook. Besides being addictive and a tool for procrastination, some individuals believe that the Facebook is narcissistic and voyeuristic, both of which are perceived as unhealthy frames of mind. For some, Facebook's emphasis on individual performances and projections perpetuate a Western self-centered ideal that they seek to avoid. However, continued pressure to join combined with a typically mild resistance to the idea has resulted in most resisting individuals eventually caving in and joining. Furthermore, I have noted several instances in which someone will create an account on behalf of a friend without permission, whereupon resistance is begrudgingly given up, and the absorbing process of crafting an identity on the Facebook begun.
Facebook Identity and the Individual
In Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet , Sherry Turkle argues that "it is computer screens where we project ourselves into our own dramas, dramas in which we are producer, director, and star (26)". Like blogs and message boards, the Facebook allows for a high degree of control over the projection of one's self. This is evidenced by the way in which Facebook users craft their individual profiles, particularly the "About Me" section. The following are random excerpts from these sections by some of my Facebook friends:
• "Hmmmm... I'm graduating and I have no job, no grad school, and most likely no future. After all, I am graduating from Wesleyan. Eventually starting grad school in Psych hopefully at NYU and working in the city. Bronx boy transplanted to the Jersey sticks only months ago. We have freakin' bears and mountain lions. Who has mountain lions in the NE? Summer plans include looking for a job and if everything works out, frequent trips to MD."
• "Trying to be badass and making poor lifestyle decisions 24/7.
I love passionate and sensual people. I also love men who can dance.
Come talk to me in person. I don't bite TOO hard ;)."
• "My name is Elena, but I'd rather be called Laina [or anything else, really]. I like biology and glitter. I get giddy when I meet people that speak Russian. I dance, but I don't look nice doing it. IM me, but it would be way cooler if you[who am I addressing?!] talked to me in person. I've been told that I can be intimidating with my superlots of energy and excitedness[?] but don't be scared, I don't bite unless you let me."
• "I'm neither as unapproachable nor as nice as I may appear."
In a way, virtual environments allow users to project themselves in a way that may be difficult in face-to-face interactions. In discussing computer-mediated communication, Katz and Rice write:
Mediated interaction is usually personal, especially when participants have time and interest, and mediated interaction may even be 'hypersocial,' managing interaction and impressions in ways that are not possible through face-to-face interaction (209).
In a world that is becoming increasingly busy and hectic, it is easy to be seen in an unfavorable light if one hasn't the time for a spontaneous, quality conversation, or is in a bad mood. Conversely, Facebook profiles can be continuously changed and expanded upon, and are crafted according to a user's self-perceptions. Interestingly, I have noticed a trend in leaving the "About Me" section entirely blank, raising the possibility that some individuals prefer not to summarize their identity in paragraph form. Furthermore, some individuals find creative ways to express themselves through the use of irony, wit, or cryptic references. Some examples of this:
• "I got kicked out of university after delivering a brilliant lecture on the aggressive influence of German philosophy on rock and roll entitled "You, Kant, Always Get What You Want"."
• "Yarrrrrrrrrrr!!! Twas born to a wench in a barbados rum house. By the age of 3 I had killed me first man for eyein me treasure. At 6 I plundered me first ship and sank it with all hands on board. When 15 years me had, I was captain of me own ship plunderin the Spanish Main. Me first Matey was caught by a British frigate, strung up, gutted, and quartered before me very eyes. Yarr twas a sad day. That very same frigate captain, James Smith took me right hand in a pitched battle for Skull Island. But that landlubber lost his head at Tullen Cove in a night raid on his HMS PoopDeck. I have a musketball logded 4 inches into my forhead. I plunder all I see. I slit throats at the drop of a hat. I eat saltpeter and shit gunpowder. I be the hardest scalliwag on the seven sees. Yaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!!!!"
• "a church and a fortress. a fortress in ruins. all that's meant to protect us is bound to fall apart. bound to become contrived, useless, and absurd. all that's meant to protect is bound to isolate, and all that's meant to isolate is bound to hurt."
Perhaps the foremost apparent feature utilized by students to display their identity is the photo uploaded on one's profile page. I searched through random Wesleyan profiles in order to get some idea of what sorts of photos are most popular. The photos chosen were most often close-ups of the member's face, often cropped from a larger photograph. Also common were photos of up to four people, the member included. Some members chose to visually represent themselves in rather creative and humorous ways: one as a pirate (see above, "Yarrrr!"), two as a jellyfish, and some through Photoshop-doctored images. From personal experience, I have noticed that many of my friends change their profile picture quite often, and much more frequently than their written sections. What is the lure of such a feature? Through visual representations, members of the Facebook are able to creatively express themselves beyond the fields provided (ie; favorite movies, favorite music). Furthermore, the Internet "provides alternative channels of expression (exciting, bland, creative, and tasteless) in an era when the media are increasingly dominated by a few self-serving corporate interests and by bland entertainment that panders to base interests (Katz and Rice, 318)."
Nevertheless, critics argue that the Facebook is a seriously destructive tool for procrastination, sucking away hours of computer time that would otherwise be spent working. Even randomly coasting through computer labs, it's become common to see students procrastinating by surfing the Facebook. However, public Facebook usage is perceived by some as shameful, something to hide, as evidenced by the following interview excerpt:
Max: So the Facebook: basically it's like a secondary email account, with pictures and narcissism... and the faint, pleasant aroma of voyeurism. But I'll check my email in class, and I won't check the Facebook.
Me: Why?
Max : I mean, it's so masturbatory... snooping around, admiring one's own clever profile... not something to be done in public.
This view is not shared by all, however, as another interviewee responded:
Nick: Oh, I don't care about that! I'll see someone I don't know when I'm in the library, and I'll check them out on Facebook right then and there.
It is interesting to note that the term "user" is typically in reference to computer or drug use. Many of the people I have spoken with about the Facebook frequently mention its addictive nature: hours may be spent crafting one's profile, uploading and viewing photos, creating and joining groups, and checking out the profiles of other members, as evidenced by the following:
Sam: I'm addicted to stalking people on the Facebook... and judging people based on their profiles.
Andrew: I'm not sure if it's negative repercussions per se, but I think it becomes easy for people to learn about others in a way that promotes no dialogue or discourse.
However, the concept that online communities weaken "real life" interaction at the expense of online interaction is hardly supported by the nature of the Facebook, which is viewed as both a supplement to and an extension of "real life" relationships. "It is the relationship that is the important thing," write Smith and Kollock, "and not the communication medium (182)."
Facebook Community Development
In analyzing the Facebook as a "virtual community", what first struck me was the discourse used in casual conversation when discussing the Facebook. Indeed, the word "Facebook" itself has taken on multiple usages, such as to be "on the Facebook", "to facebook someone", and "that's such a Facebook thing". Recently, I made friends with a stranger who concluded our conversation with, "So, are you on the Facebook?" This mode of discourse has become increasingly common in everyday conversations. Furthermore, through this medium people can not only learn more about each other, but can interact in ways that don't demand a great deal of time or energy. While it can be difficult to fit social interaction into daily college life (particularly if one's path doesn't typically cross with another's), it's easy to find time to send a quick message to a friend, "befriend" new acquaintances, invite people to future events, or simply post a quick message of appreciation on someone's "wall" via the Facebook.
In my personal experience, I have noticed that, via the Facebook, I am able to juggle a higher number of acquaintances in my social network. Upon meeting someone for the first time, it's common to receive or send a "friend request" shortly afterwards. Thus, it is possible to build mutual understanding of a how one is connected to another socially, as well as little details such as academic concentration and geographic location, providing a greater foundation through which to establish common interests. Furthermore, organizing events and parties is simplified by merely inviting one's entire friend network, eliminating the hassle of making dozens of phone calls or going out of one's way to track down busy friends. Thus, the Facebook can serve to simplify and expand "real life" community organization and social network development, as well as community diversity.
In discussing community diversity via the Internet, Smith and Kollock write that:
...the Net's lack of in-person involvement can provide participants with more control over the timing and content of their self-disclosures. This allows relationships to develop on the basis of communicated shared interests rather than be stunted at the onset by perceived differences in social status (184).
The literature regarding virtual communities frequently emphasizes the role of social capital. Katz and Rice argue that the Internet does indeed contribute to social capital, describing the cycle whereby collective social capital is created:
First, individual self-interest motivates people to take part of a virtual community. In following this self-interest, individuals engage in social interaction and group activity, which in turn leads to new information and forms of organization. "This creativity," write Katz and Rice, "in turn alters individuals' views of themselves and their relationship with others (353)."
Studies regarding Internet use and social capital have been undertaken by Wellman and Haythornthwaite, who concluded that "those who are more active offline are more active online- and vice versa. In this way, people are incorporating the Internet into their everyday lives even as the Internet is quietly fostering the changing composition of social capital (320)." In my discussions with Facebook members, I have noted an overall appreciation of the use of the Facebook in facilitating social contact, while also changing the nature of that contact, as the following excerpt details:
Max L: I think the net effect is neutral, the Facebook has made social interaction more efficient at the expense of our general social skills, the two are opposing and I would believe eventually canceling forces... like all technology I think the progress is in a humanist view entirely neutral because it expends the cultural currency of the past for the cultural currency of today.
Thus, while it is easier to maintain weaker social ties via the medium of the Facebook, this facilitation results for some in a decrease in face-to-face interaction. However, the positives generally outweigh the negatives, as exhibited by the continuing popularity and expanding utilization of the Facebook to arrange group events and organize social ties.
Conclusion
The Facebook builds upon past examples of online social networking, building a virtual community closely tied to the "real". In this way, it exists through both the impact of the site itself on strengthening social bonds and increasing one's social network, as well as being shaped by users' agency in virtually representing both "real" identity and "real" community. Furthermore, one's social network contains both strong and weak ties, which serve to increase social capital. The capacity to organize and maintain many social ties at once through the computer-mediated system of the Facebook grants members the capacity to stay in touch with old friends regardless of spatial limitations.
Politically, the Facebook works to form power relations at multiple levels: there is the Facebook itself as an entity, the individual self-identities formed through the use of the Facebook, close social bonds (which are supported through "wall" messages and monitoring the profiles of close friends), intermediate social relations (at the level of groups and events), macro-relations (with regard to the capacity to transcend transnational geographic differences), as well as the entire political-economic system (supported through advertisements as well as corporate and legal involvement). These relationships are formed through a series of representations that can be compared to the creation of a map. Downes discusses the four essential components of the communicative system in which a map operates:
First, the real world provides the context from which the cartographer samples information. The second component is the cartographer herself, who is responsible for representing the information. Third is the map, created to convey the information and message. The final component is the map reader who passively or actively responds to the stimuli presented and then decodes or interprets it... The map is a complex communicative artifact; it is a construction shared by a number of users. The map is also a vehicle for metaphoric double awareness in that it points to lived spaces but also to narrative spaces that embody the viewer (124).
In this sense, both the creators of the Facebook as well as individual members themselves both create and decode the virtual "map" of identity and community.
Virtual communities are very much "real" communities. In order to conceptualize their "realness", I refer to Stuart Hall's discussion of culture as a set of symbolic forms, whereupon meanings are formed through acts of interpretation. Virtual communities seek to symbolically represent ideologies of identity and community practices. However, these symbolic forms are not without contestation, for they extend beyond the hegemonic position to incorporate both negotiated and alternative interpretations. The Facebook serves as a site for community representation and reinforcement, but also as a site where identities are continuously contested and reformed, where meanings vary according to individual interpretations of virtual symbols.
References
Downes, D. (2005). Interactive Realism: The Poetics of Cyberspace ,
Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Katz, J and Rice, R. (2002). Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access,
Involvement, and Interaction , Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Nayar, P. (2004). Virtual Worlds: Culture and Politics in the Age of
Cybertechnology, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc.
Rheingold, H. (2000). The Virtual Community, Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Smith, M and Kollock, P. (1999). Communities in Cyberspace, New York:
Routledge.
Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet, New
York: Simon & Schuster.
Wellman, B. and Haythornthwaite C. (2002). The Internet in Everyday Life,
Malden: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Wellman, B., Salaff, J., Dimitrova, D., Garton, L., Gulia, M. and Haythornthwaite ,
C. (1996). Computer Networks as Social Networks: Collaborative Work,
Telework, and Virtual Community. Annual Review of Sociology, 22 (213-238).
http://www.techcrunch.com/2005/09/07/85-of-college-students-use-facebook/
http://wesleyan.facebook.com/press.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation
http://wesleyan.facebook.com/policy.php
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2006/01/2006012301c.htm
http://wesleyan.facebook.com/policy.php
©Jenny Ryan, 2006.