Social Networks, Social Mapping, and Social Power

Social Networks, Social Mapping and Social Power

By Meg Tallis

Image 1: Social Media Advertising

  If maps are an "illustration of society" and "show how society sees itself" and "the maps that become popular or important show us the perspective of the powerful" (Petray, 2013), then Facebook - a social network that can provide a map of social structure (Traud, Mucha and Porter, 2012) - should have a lot to tell us about social power and society.  Buchanan (2002) suggests that major changes can happen to individuals, not because they themselves change, but because the organisation of their social network changes (p.15). Therefore, one might expect to undergo some form of change in their perception of their place in this world and the power they hold, by extending their social network to include cyberspace connections.

These were the thoughts I had in mind when I finally relented my anti-Facebook stance and joined the masses as a member.  I chose to keep my own identity due to the joy I knew it would bring my friends and family having waited forever for me to join Facebook. I very quickly found that Tuan (1997) was on the mark with his comment "What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value"(p.6), as Facebook became for me not just a virtual space with words and images on a screen, but a place for me to go on lonely nights at home when I needed to feel connected to my friends.

After only a few days of experiencing Facebook membership I realised I had experienced nearly all of the "modes" of being in cyberspace  that Barnes (1997) details, playing the role of map-creator, consumer, and traveller; being watched, mobilised and assimilated in Cyberspace.  Facebook forced me to create a mental map to navigate my way around the site, purchase clothes I can't afford thanks to aesthetically pleasing advertising and have my every-day life snap-shots and thoughts viewed, read and commented upon.  As far as "scopic power in cyberspace"(Barnes, 1997) goes, I was well aware of how much power I now had to: create an online self-image; look into and comment on the lives of others; tailor advertising to my interests and effect the mood of others with my posts.

I look forward to coming weeks where my growing knowledge of social networks and social power will continue to give me more lenses through which to view Facebook and my involvement with it.  It will be interesting to see what forms of power are given to me and taken from me through the use of it as a social network.

Reference List

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the cyber-flanuer. Retrieved from the Raynbird 

                 

               Productions website: http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html

Buchanan, M. (2002). Nexus: Small worlds and the groudbreaking science of network.  

                 

               New York: WW Norton and Company.

Petray, T. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, 

                  

               Lecture 3: Maps: Seeing and representing the world. [PowerPoint slides]. 

                  

               Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Traud, A. L., Mucha, P. J., & Porter, M. A. (2012). Social structure of facebook networks.

        

               Physica A, 391, 4165-4180. doi:10.1016/j.physa.2011.12.021

                 

Tuan, Y. (1997). Space and place: The perspective of experience. London, England:

   

               Edward Arnold.

               

               Image Credits

Image 1: Ho, J. (2012). Social media advertising. Retrived from http://med.stanford.edu

 /blogs/integrated_header/archives/2012/02/guest-post-the.html