Community

A community is a group of people, with a certain level of trust, who interact on a regular basis to express a common interest.

Research Topic

My research project will address the ways in which trust is established and managed on social networking sites, particularly Facebook, Myspace and Orkut

I think the idea of trust connected with the internet is both a fascinating and important topic to address. For many people the internet is a liberating medium that encourages trust. Social networking sites often seem harmless, especially when your network and friends consist of people you know in real life. However, many people have found that they trust their online network too much and have encountered undesired consequences.

Understanding the formation and use of trust on social networking sites can not only help prevent undesired consequences, but can also be a powerful tool. Most social rules are unwritten rules, as are the rules of trust in social networks. Generally, users are able to figure out the rules of trust without problems, but those who have a deeper understanding are able to use trust to their advantage. They are able to establish and use trust to advance relationships, to gain social capital and reputation, and to maintain networks.

Questions I will address in my research:

How trust is established. Trust can either be established online or through face to face interactions. How does the formation of trust affect interactions? Does one method of establishing trust encourage trust more than another.

How is trust communicated on the sites? For example, on all three sites trust can be communicated by adding someone as a friend. However, for different people and different sites, being someone’s friend has different meanings. What are other ways in which users are encouraged to communicate trust?

How much control do users have over the sharing of their information? Do the sites allow a user to customize who views what information, or are the settings one size fits all? For example, can users set their entire profiles or pieces profiles to be viewed by friends only? Do users open the door to trust by sharing information with lots of people, or do they only share information after trust has been established?

What causes users to place too much trust in others? Is this encouraged by the site’s interface? Does a higher degree of privacy control encourage sharing information that should be left offline? What are the incentives for users to trust others? Are they online or offline?

The websites I will be analyzing, Facebook, Orkut, and Myspace are all three established social networking sites ranging from 7 million to 80 million members. Each of the sites requires that the user establish a profile describing themselves. The three sites share some privacy controls, but also have controls unique to their sites.

Members of all three sites have faced unwanted consequences as a result of information posted. Myspace, in particular has been highly criticized for the number of it’s users who have been harmed as a result of the site, particularly minors. The amount and type of information being posted on these sites is startling. At the heart of this issue is the trust users place in the site and the people they befriend on the site.

I define a community as a group comprised of individuals interacting to express a common interest, while recognizing a system of order.

Social capital is the access to resources either owned by an individual or owned by someone in an individuals network.