Tech: Is leaving MySpace for Facebook somehow racist?
- The fact that digital migration is revealing the same social patterns as urban white flight should send warning signals to all of us. It should scare the hell out of us.
- Internet smart person Danah Boyd • On the uncomfortable truth that people are going to Facebook instead of MySpace, and those still on MySpace are the equivalent of city-dwellers during the white flight era. Is some sort of racism going on? Are people under the assumption that people on MySpace are lower-class cretins? We argue that it’s because MySpace isn’t a place for friends anymore. • source
Google’s been on top of the heap for nearly a decade, and it’s a firm hold. They’ve built themselves around the idea that the Web’s organization should be simple. Their ads are well-targeted, and their services – especially search, Gmail and News – are incredibly useful. They made $4.2 billion last year alone.
Facebook, on the other hand, is building influence and currency on the Web. They’ve got critical mass, and, smartly, didn’t even focus on competing with MySpace. They want to be the new Google, and have just the right arrogant CEO to pull it off. Their hyper-focused information means they can focus on advertising for brands.