Intro

The two parts of Context Interaction we wanted to look at were Conformity and Desecration. Jess has friends on her network who desecrate Facebook. It was easiest to claim desecration by noting the Profile Image. If it wasnt' a photograph of a person, we looked at the site. We found such images as, an ultrasound, magazine cover, caraciture, and a pocketwatch. Our study group was limited to the BSU Facebook network.

Conventions of Facebook

• Social Networking--primarily college students "connecting" with friends or other students with similar interests
• Values--a "good time," marriage, being single, music, movies, tv shows,

members are generally polite to each other though they may make some frivolous comments in attempts to be witty or clever

• Harmony
• What's missing--anger, any badmouthing towards one another, nothing hateful or mean

Seems like a recess with students policing themselves

Conformity

Messages on the Wall seem to have these characteristics

• sense of immediacy
  • "It's hard to pay you back when you don't answer your phone"
  • "It was awesome to see you last night"
  • "Monday, my house..."
  • "Happy Birthday"
  • "Hey...What'd you think of the meatgrinder?"

• sense of frivolity
  • "I like to poop"
  • "Psycho!!!!!"
  • "Hey!"

• sense of fun
  • "I don't know if I'm going to the concert yet"
  • "I think you should go with your design..."
  • "What's your profile picture of?"
  • "I was wondering if I could stay with you guy for ...b-day"

Profile Images seem to have these characteristics

• photo of person:
  • in a group--or with another person (possible celebrity or a friend)
  • in an activity--driving a boat, at a concert
  • dressed in a costume--striking a pose--wearing a toga, pointing at the camera, looking at the camera while kissing

Personal Information These are limited choices in answers and students select an answer from a list of responses

• male/female
• interested in women/men
• relationship status
• looking for
• birthday
• hometown
• political views
• religious views

Information Students can answer these without having to select from a list

• email--usually a school email address
• residence--name of a dorm
• school mailbox--many times left blank
• Interests
  • snowboarding
  • shopping
  • drinking
  • dancing
  • kickboxing

• Favorite Music
  • Bands' names
  • Kinds of music-country, rock, punk
  • Favorite Movies--"current" movies--usually in the last five years--Lord of the Rings, Walk the Line, Saw, Tommy Boy
  • Favorite TV Shows--nip/tuck, Star Trek
  • Favoite Quote--sometimes a poem--Frost's "road not taken" in entirety

--cliches'- "no guts, no glory" --sometimes swearing--"You can fuck with the best..."

• About Me-- Tells something they want others to know or need to vent

--"I can't wait to graduate in spring and get the hell out of here..." --"I am an independent person..."

Non-Paricipation

• Include minimal personal information in profile
• Choose not to accept or request friendships
• Other things that these profiles may not include:
  • Groups
  • Profile Picture
  • Notes
  • Photo Albums
  • Status

Example of a non-participant

Desecration

Common Methods

• Using an image of someone/something other than the owner's
• Excluding information

or

• Including facetious information

Examples of common desecration:

• not too much
• a little more

Uncommon, but most extreme form of desecration on Facebook (that we've come across)

• Doesn't use their image for a profile picture
• Excludes some personal information
• Information that is shown isn't true
  • nonexistent hometown
  • made-up religion
  • fake residence
  • fake education information
  • fake work information
• Writes on own wall
  • posts on own wall don't seem to be addressing anyone specifically -- they don't seem to be written as a response to anyone else's posts -- they're just there, in a random fashion
• Notes aren't used as most others use them
  • They aren't about self
  • Content doesn't seem to relate to the title

here's what it looks like

Contextual Reconstruction

Most people seem to be using Facebook in the same manner, but there are some exceptions

This person uses his notes section as a preview of articles that he has written for his website. Each note includes a link to his website. He also mentions his website in other places on his profile. It seems as though he uses his profile, especially the notes section, as a plug for his site.