"For users, Web2.0 was all about reorganizing web-based practices around
Friends. For many users, direct communication tools like email and IM
were used to communicate with one's closest and dearest while online
communities were tools for connecting with strangers around shared
interests. Web2.0 reworked all of that by allowing users to connect in
new ways. While many of the tools may have been designed to help people
find others, what Web2.0 showed was that people really wanted a way to
connect with those that they already knew in new ways. Even tools like
MySpace and Facebook which are typically labeled social networkING
sites were never really about networking for most users. They were
about socializing inside of pre-existing networks."
--dana boyd, talk given at microsoft, feb 2009
--dana boyd, talk given at microsoft, feb 2009
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It is a good point that the largest use of Facebook and MySpace is to connect with people you already know. But when you're dealing with such large numbers and long tail effects, the largest trend is not the only important one. The "fan" and organizing aspects of MySpace and Facebook have a notable impact on the building of groups supporting music and causes. The semipermeable boundaries in Twitter enable an interesting combination of networking with known people and connecting with new ones. So, the point about people connecting to existing contacts is a good counter to the myth of "cyberspace" as a parallel universe, but doesn't fully describe what's going on.