Asians, Facebook & MySpace

A new study from Northwestern University found that college students' choice of social networking sites is often related to their race, ethnicity, and parental education. The study found that white students generally chose Facebook, Hispanic students prefer MySpace, and Asian and Asian-American students are least likely to use MySpace. African American students did not show a statistically significant preference toward a particular social networking site. Asian and Asian-American students were most likely to use Xanga, though a significant amount do use Facebook. The education level of the students' parents also correlates with social networking choices. Students with parents who finished college are significantly more likely to use Facebook, while MySpace users are more likely to have parents that have less than a high school education. Students who live at home with their parents are less likely to use a social networking site than students who live by themselves, with a roommate, or at school. Additionally, women were found more likely to engage in person-to-person online communication than men. The findings of the study contradict the common belief that social networking sites are being used to expand students social and cultural experiences and suggest social networking sites actually create a two-tier social system. "In a two-tier system, some college students cultivate lots of networks and social capital while others benefit considerably less from this important part of the college experience," says author of the study Eszter Hargittai. The study appears in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.