If you think of facebook as more of the open space then it is perfectly in tune with how humans socialize.
In the US for example we have a multitude of different cultures. We all live within the boundaries of the US, but our social lives narrow down to the closest connections we have.
Some may be more expansive and general. Some may be extremely insular like the Amish. All of this is happening in the US. Making all of us connected but separate groups tribes. Think the Kevin Bacon game.
Facebook is the same way. If I look at my feed, it is dramatically different from my uncle's and even more different from a younger relative. All part of the same whole but distinctly different. The mistake in this idea of facebook as an anomaly is the view that it is one social space. It's one space with an infinite range of social possibilities.
Slashdot Mirror
If you think of facebook as more of the open space then it is perfectly in tune with how humans socialize. In the US for example we have a multitude of different cultures. We all live within the boundaries of the US, but our social lives narrow down to the closest connections we have. Some may be more expansive and general. Some may be extremely insular like the Amish. All of this is happening in the US. Making all of us connected but separate groups tribes. Think the Kevin Bacon game. Facebook is the same way. If I look at my feed, it is dramatically different from my uncle's and even more different from a younger relative. All part of the same whole but distinctly different. The mistake in this idea of facebook as an anomaly is the view that it is one social space. It's one space with an infinite range of social possibilities.