Do your kids prefer myspace or facebook?

The BBC had an article about a study that found that the populations of facebook and myspace may indicate a social divide . The study was by PhD student Danah Boyd from the School of Information Sciences at UC Berkeley.

The research suggests those using Facebook come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college. By contrast, MySpace users tend to get a job after finishing high school rather than continue their education.

What was most interesting was that the observation was less about wealth and more about "real" social life networks.

Social networks are strongly connected to geography, race, and religion; these are also huge factors in lifestyle divisions and thus 'class'

So, facebook users tend to be

• white
• go to college
• attend honor classes
• participate in after school activities

Myspace users, however, tend to be

• parents did not go to college
• teens from immigrant, Latino and Hispanic families
• socially ostracised at school

This makes relative sense if you think about the history of the sites. Facebook launched in 2004 as a Harvard-only site. In mid-2005, Facebook opened its doors but you had to get an invitation -- which went it probably came from a college student or someone desiring to attend college. These roots still show today.

You can find the full posting of the research here.