Abstract
Just as computer mediated communication has altered the fabric of our contemporary social context, revolutions and evolutions within the world of the web have exerted transformations to social networks. New innovate forms of media have forever redefined our understandings of production and consumption as well as the exchange and ownership of information. Pedagogical considerations of communication have experienced paradigm shifts with the inception of Social Networking Services (SNS). More than ever, the heterogeneity evident in the increasingly transnational social mesh calls for new revolutionary and anti-disciplinary epistemology and subsequent analysis.
The dawn of a mature yet dynamic and wildly successful SNS, Facebook.com, has quickly become a defining point of today’s youth; the resultant impact on the high school and undergraduate population is nothing short of monumental. Students are now socialized in a world shaped by the internet. They brandish native and latent intuitions and understandings of computer technology unknown to previous generations, the effect of which is demonstrated daily on Facebook.
Three disciplines and corresponding theory are discussed in this article: Science and Technology Studies (STS) sociology, forms and influence of new media, and the digital divide and identity in cyberspace. When tracing appropriate subsets as they apply to Facebook.com the resulting picture is a formidable theory tool set instrumental in examining and understanding the many facets, implications, and effects of the Facebook system.
An operational example of application of this theory set is then demonstrated in regards to race and Facebook. Specifically, the continuation of two covertly racist norms: the colorblind mentality and racialised visual classification of others. My formalized research proposal follows, including an STS theory-based research model and successive multi-method research design. I conclude on a note of discussion, limitations, and potential avenues of future research.