Social Networking

One of the most curious aspects of our present time has been the growing ability for
youngsters to project themselves digitally, through the web. The process seems to be easier for
those who were born after internet sprang widely, becoming the worldwide web. Nonetheless,
elders have been using social networks with increasing skill, even those who did not handle a
computer, professionally, on a daily basis. An online social network is a social structure, which
in itself holds the concept of a stage and actors, whose relationships are held through patterns
and move across sections, intersections and circles, of various shapes and sizes.
"Anthropology has always dealt with the here and the now. The practicing ethnologist is a
person situated somewhere (his "here" of the moment" who describes what he is observing or
what he is hearing at the moment." (Aug, 1995, p.8). Having an object of study with a virtual
projection transforms the investigator into what is referred as an armchair anthropologist, for
though the access may even be through a mobile connected device, the investigation and
observation itself are deprived of any physical action and/or displacement in the actual field
where the action is taking place. He/she will probably be static, most of the time.

*
So, a relevant and current project aimed and focused to the present and of undeniable interest
and value, both in the near and perhaps not so distant future, would be decoding the forming
echo chambers and their intersections within online social networks.

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family, school colleagues, co-workers. The
web changed this. A real presence is no
longer required as the basis or starting
point for a social bond. Nowadays, it has
become more and more common to find
strong relation ties between people that
A persons social network was once
mainly formed by close, physical relations:

virtually met before they had any physical

encounter.

So to sum the starting point, the contemporary world itself, with its accelerated
transformations is the object. It would be harder to find anything which has presented a
faster growth than online social networks, supported by technological improvements and
achievements. This to point out the starting question: what have been the most
important aspects of this phenomenon in the individuals conception about himself, the
others and his place among them?

The main line of a project with this focus would definitely benefit from participant
observation and, therefore the need to create a profile in a determined number of social
networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, just the mention some). By doing so, one would use
the same building tools as any other user. It would be useful to build up questionnaires (for
quantitative analysis) and interviews (for qualitative analysis): two common tools to gather

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enough information enabling one to determine tendencies, group character, in a broad
perspective, and to get in touch with the individuals personal motivations, on a closer view.
Being online, as a person, requires effort, requires one to master the online social network
building tools and it all starts there.

So, one of the main aspects would be to define the purpose of the profiles, on their
creators point of view, since there might be several goals the user has in mind; therefore the
profiles own structure is the root and soul of the online projection of the self. Having multiple
profiles is also an aspect to consider. By doing so, the individual is creating compartments and
setting roles apart. One must also consider the simplicity of the interface versus the difficulty of
managing various characters. One should consider that some online social network have tools
to, within the same profile, allow the user to set social groups apart.
It would be advisable and perhaps unavoidable to have a journal which should be an extension
of an investigator on any field. Memory is short and selective. A detailed diary helps reviewing
the progress of the work, upholds discipline and helps rearranging strategies when there seems
to be no development.
One can picture social bounds and arrangements as geometric structures, such as pyramids.
But there are other geometric forms, as Claude Lvi-Strauss (1969) implied in his studies, and
they go as far as the different sections intersect. However, when analyzing on-line social
networking systems, it is important to identify the type of bonds that link people.

It would be a plus, and also a guiding line, to determine if the actual purpose of the
online self and, its further connections, ends up building a characteristic shape (is there a shape
that draws and features the connections made with strictly professional profiles, strictly sexual
profiles, strictly personal profiles?).

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Spradley views ethnography in five steps within its research: selecting a problem, collecting
data, analyzing data, formulating hypotheses, and writing. All five steps happen simultaneously
(Spradley, 1980, p.93/4). These processes are guiding lines, in their sequence, but throughout
the whole research they will swap places and be rearranged, for often in a social investigation,
one ends up unfolding issues that were not visible in the starting point and most likely will end
up, by the knowledge achieved, transforming the work and the researcher itself.

Building the self, in this kind of project, results in a carefully calculated input of
information. It represents a single block in a broader construction, so it must fit. In fact, in this is
process, regeneration is infinite: one can build and/or rebuild as many blocks as he/she wishes
or considers necessary, according to the ultimate goal.
People create different characters for all sorts of reasons friendship, sex, job, leisure, etc. mainly because they want to fit somewhere - the human drive is above all a social drive. Selfbuilding empowers the subject, although the tools that are provided by various websites create
certain limits and restraint as far as creativity is concerned. Some virtual places, however, such
as blogs allow more freedom as they are not bound to strict social networks regulations.

A character, by definition, is someone who takes part in a plot, even if the role is passive. The
web is a connecting tool that ads up two things: self-efficacy and self-esteem. People acquire a
sense of self-efficiency when they learn to master skills and achieve goals that are important in
their preferred areas of interest. This kind of confidence, one can learn and work in a particular
area, and have success. Self-esteem is more general, it's about what we can cope with, in our
lives. Its a feeling of approval that comes from others, the people around, and we may or may
not master or control the ways to earn and keep it.
Social networks, in an odd sense, have made us more densely connected than ever. Despite all
this, recent researches came to the conclusion people have never been lonelier, which is
developing side effects in the human mind, already charted in DSM V (Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders).

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Ongoing researches started from the assumption that one of the major individuals' drives to use
Internet is to relieve symptoms, like loneliness. Basically lonely individuals or those who do not
have the proper social skills are susceptible to develop compulsive Internet use, emphasizing
their already notable absence of the real physical world.

Methodologies to achieve an effective analysis play an important part due to the variety
of the many existing online social networks at the interface provided for them for interaction
between the individual and the rest of the network.
Throughout the investigation it is important to cross references of how individuals create their
grid, how they impulse their growth, how they manage their connections, how much time they
spend on each section, how they organize their groups. It is important to take note on what kind
of content a user applies to a specific target , given his/her digital projection the motif of the
profile as well as its feedback. Concepts like S4S (support for support), as well as other terms
used by the cybernetic community are to be taken in account. There should be concern about
the cyber lexicon.
For a valid result, viewing online activity should be one of the most important tools. After
gathering as much information possible to define a behaviour code, the researcher may choose
to apply it and verify its credibility according to the feedback.

The goal and target of this study triggers an important challenge from a methodological
point of view, for it inserts the concept of embeddedness, brought up by Plattner (1989).
It is clear the background of an online social network, such as Facebook, is moved by a huge
economical and publicity mechanism (If youre not paying, youre the product as it was

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stated in MetaFilter, a community weblog; 2010). As far as the nature of the profile and the
extent of an individuals network, the bonds have various grades. One needs to be careful not to
reach conclusions that may appear obvious such as registering a significant amount of
interactions within a group if the group itself is not well characterized, because close bonds may
arise for economical or professional interests, instead of affection. This becomes harder to
distinguish when a user objectively has the same profile and manages it, spending huge
numbers of hours, that might evidently suggest strong bonds, but if the individual is displaying
himself with a specific purpose (sexual, politic, etc.), any structural theories based the incorrect
interpretation of the data will compromise the result and conclusion of the research.
One must consider the interface as a tool to build up a character, so, again, a conscious
approach to the whole matter would be: what is the main purpose on the individual by building
his/her digital projection and what is the predictable form and structure his/her relationships will
take shape, according to it.
*
There is more than enough data to create a crossover between different perspectives
on how individuals express relationships on-line, and thus themselves. A fully grown and
developed conclusion must include the intercross of all; otherwise it will miss the broader
picture. One cannot neglect the fact that a social structure is an organism and that nowadays
economy and social psychology are joining forces to intertwine results, while practical
implementation sciences: there is a definite correlation between the investigation which must
present an active line of research with a background in sociology and psychology, that have
studied the relationship between the importance of bonding and its structural role in the
underlying social network. The stronger the bonds, the stronger the time and resources invested
on them. So one may say there is a structure under the structure, which is true for most, if not
all societies conceptual buildings.

Social Networking

This subject for the object applied is huge and thrives in uncharted territory. The classic
lines and methods are safeguards: they will provide guidance for the most basic aspects of this
so called fieldwork. Nonetheless, as this field is virtual, the researcher is deprived of some
techniques or insights a human being uses in his ordinary day to day life. It can be regarded as
an experience deprived of senses in a way.

Charts and statistics are of great value. Nonetheless, users of online social networks randomly
manipulate the uploaded data, so any interpretation should consider a global view.
This is a great challenge from a methodological point of view, as a specific online network has
its own singularity, regardless what they all may have in common.

An investigation of this nature will most likely be conditioned from its starting point by
the investigators gender, preferences and, as it evolves, the bonding itself, as it will not
be physical. So, to be fair, the incursions as user, should that be the chosen path and
approach, might be more difficult to handle in a scientific manner. On the other hand,
should the researcher unleash his/her imagination, the tools provided by the online
social networks to create a profile may prove to unleash experiences and data one
would not have access in the physical world, because they will not be subjected to
limitations like age, sex, annual income or others as such.

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Social internet research, as all researches, is about asking question and looking for
answers, whilst reformulating the questions and adapting ways and methods to reach results.
Social scientists are aware social networks have had a huge global impact on human relations
and in the nature of people's bonds. The Web is a research tool itself with huge potential.
Getting in touch with virtual communities makes it possible to turn the subjects into researchers
as well, trough forums, for instance, by raising questions and creating general debates. Social
networks may be statistically analyzed and provide both quantitative and qualitative data. Social
mutations can be forecasted through this kind of statistical approach; however the constant
technological changes demand careful consideration of the results.
Social networks are of various natures: they are virtual lounges but they also serve
commercial and professional purposes. Social bonds formed in virtual places transcend the
screen and spread offline. Considering the human condition and how people are provided with
five senses, the web is a world of the mind and at a certain point deprived of senses, although
attempts are being made to change that (Oculus Rift, f. e.).

While the main purpose of the study remains to understand how a person builds his/her
own virtual self and how he/she interacts with virtual others, it is important to bear in mind the
individual organism and the collective organism share much of their behavior: it is possible, for
that reason, to infer certain demeanors.
The web is, beyond any doubt, a wide field for social investigators, providing easy
access to the observation, on many levels, on various subjects: this massive phenomenon
which has spread around the globe.

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AUG, M. (1995) Non-places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London:

Verso.

BERGER, P. (1963) Invitation to Sociology: a human perspective. New York: Anchor Books,
Doubley & Company, Inc.

LVI-STRAUSS, C. (1969) The Elementary Structures of Kinship. London: Eyre &

Spottiswoode

MetaFilter Network Inc. (2010) www.metafilter.com. [online] in

http://www.metafilter.com/95152/Userdriven-discontent
[Accessed 11th August 2014]

PLATTNER, S. (1989) Economic Anthropology. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press

SPRADLEY, J. P. (1980) Participant observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.