The Nevada Sagebrush

Infographic by Emily Stott

A quick scroll down friends’ Facebook status updates is sign enough that social networking is evolving and shaping the college generation. One student vented about class registration: “Come on, UNR, the least you could do when I’m paying you thousands of dollars every year is schedule classes neatly so I can find time to work!” Another invited friends on an outing: “Who else wants to come off-roading to watch the meteor shower with us?”

University of Nevada, Reno students are mimicking a national trend that shows social networkers have more close friends, visit public places more often and have more diverse points of view. The Pew Internet Project study released earlier this month, Social Isolation and New Technology, debunks traditional assumptions that heavy Internet users are often hermits who enjoy isolation rather than in-person interaction.

“The interesting thing about social networking is that it demonstrates that computing isn’t necessarily an isolating (activity), that it does bring people together,” Steven Zink, vice president of information technology, said. “It just means that the initial contacts aren’t the same.”

Although people who use social networking sites are generally connected to a larger group of people, some argue that those connections are somewhat loose or superficial.

“Closely connected and loosely connected both have their benefits,” UNR sociology professorMarkus Kemmelmeier said. “Having a lot of weak connections put you in touch with what’s the best store to buy X and what to do about Y. It helps with not particularly important things, but you always have somebody that you can ask.”

The study acknowledges a group of Internet “friends” that might not be part of a core support group, but also found that people who use social networking have closer ties with friends or family.

While 12 percent of Americans say they have no one to discuss important matters with, only 10 percent of Internet users have no one to confide in, according to the report.

“These are sociable people,” Lee Rainie, co-author of the study, said. “They have many, many friends in social networking. They have more close ties because they are social beings. They like to interact with people.”

Not only do they have more ties, but people are starting to use social networking as a way to set up in-person communication, rather than just surface connections, according to the study. For example, event invites, messages and chats often spur opportunities for friends to meet up to hang out.

Jaclyn Moreno, a 19-year-old UNR undecided major, said she uses Facebook every day and uses event invites to stay knowledgeable about what’s going on around campus and in the community. She said she probably wouldn’t otherwise know about events each week.

“Social networking is a place where people learn about real world social activity,” Rainie said. “It encourages them into public spaces rather than pushing them away from public spaces.”

Internet users are 42 percent more likely than non-users to visit a public park or plaza and 45 percent more likely to visit a coffee shop or café, according to the study. Bloggers are 61 percent more likely to visit a public park than Internet users who do not blog.

As social butterflies connect to people online they might not otherwise meet, diversity of thought and people also comes into play. Learning about events and issues through invites and groups on Facebook has become a trend that brings in diverse views through what was once an unexpected medium.

“Cause invites are a helpful way to learn about different campaigns and I like being able to have opportunity to support efforts I believe in,” Moreno said via a Facebook message. “I learn a lot about friends when they take polls concerning political ideals or post things related to current events.”

Using social networking as a venue to discuss or advance politics and other issues was most prevalent during the most recent presidential election, Zink said. He said electing a black president was almost unthinkable for his generation, but through social networking and online campaigning the youth played a major role in electing Barack Obama last year.

“There’s nothing bad about communication,” Zink said. “If we had networking like this throughout the ages, people wouldn’t have as much animosity about others around the world. Now, it’s spreading across the globe and it’s very hopeful.”

Jessica Fryman can be reached at jfryman@nevadasagebrush.com.

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