Through all this thread, I'm really surprised at the notions of class
that are being bandied about. With the exception of the reference to
the lumpenproletariat, I see a real dearth of class theory.<br><br>Yes,
class is about relationship to the means of production (Marx). But it
is also about relationship to the ability to control the work of others
(Olin Wright). And it is also about the unspoken behaviors that reveal
one's social capital (Bourdieu). <br><br>I believe what this essay is really about is the intersection
of the material manifestation of class (habitus perhaps) and how that
is transformed in the virtual space. It is also about the "appropriate"
behavior of the respective "fronts" of Myspace and Facebook. I would
apply Goffman's dramaturgical approach to understanding why certain
groups gravitate to either place -- the "scripts" of each are distinct
and have a certain "digital habitus" that comply to respective classes
(in Olin Wright's sense of the term).<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 6/25/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Stephen Downes</b> <<a href="mailto:stephen@downes.ca">stephen@downes.ca</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hiya,<br><br>Until very recently, access to Facebook was restricted to college<br>students. It was, in other words, restricted to the privileged class.<br><br>Why would it be a surprise - or even news - to now discover that
<br>Facebook is the realm of the privileged class?<br><br>That's like the dramatic discovery that most people a white-only golf<br>clubs are white.<br><br>Not to sound too cynical, but really now...<br><br>-- Stephen<br>
<br>---<br><br>Stephen Downes ~ Researcher ~ National Research Council Canada<br><a href="http://www.downes.ca">http://www.downes.ca</a> ~ <a href="mailto:stephen@downes.ca">stephen@downes.ca</a> ** Free Learning
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