When it comes to social networks, birds of a feather really do flock together.  In the past two months, Nielsen and public relations expert Brian Solis released two compelling studies focusing on the demographics of social networks.  This research reveals that the social nation we live in depends on our class and income level.

Nielsen found that the affluent are much more likely to use Facebook while less affluent people flock to MySpace.  Solis’ research supports Nielsen’s data:

• 39% of people making between  $25,000 – $49,999 use MySpace
• In contrast, only 22% of people using Facebook make between $25,000 and $49,999

Now, let’s turn to some ethnographic research conducted by danah boyd to explore what these data mean in human terms.  boyd studies teens.  She believes teenagers shine a bright light onto the class divisions that persist in our society and how they play out on social networks.  In a talk she presented at the Personal Democracy Forum in June, she quoted a teen talking about why people at his school chose Facebook over MySpace.  He said:

“The higher castes of high school moved to Facebook. It was more cultured, and less cheesy. The lower class usually were content to stick to MySpace. Any high school student who has a Facebook will tell you that MySpace users are more likely to be barely educated and obnoxious. Like Peet’s is more cultured than Starbucks, and Jazz is more cultured than bubblegum pop, and like Macs are more cultured than PC’s, Facebook is of a cooler caliber than MySpace.”

What the Social Network Class Divide Means for Health Marketing Communications

Following are a few of my initial thoughts on what this means for health marketing communications:

• We can’t assume that because it’s social it reaches everyone: Some of us have a Utopian notion that anything social automatically reaches a broad and economically diverse population.  This assumption is incorrect.  We need to think carefully about what social tools we choose and what these choices really say about the audiences we are trying to reach.
• It’s about economics, not race: Although race is still a powerful force in our society, people of similar social classes, but different ethnic backgrounds, often find they have a lot in common.  It is much more difficult to bring people together from diverse social levels.  We are seeing these dynamics play out online.  Even though the social web is incredibly diverse, people are still hanging out in different online neighborhoods.
• We need to become familiar with culture and social technologies: It’s not enough to become familiar with social technologies.  We must be willing to reach outside of our comfort zones and communicate with people who think and act in radically different ways.

I think this is a very, very important issue and that this conversation deserves attention.  I hope you take the time to comment on this topic either on this blog or another venue.

Read More from Walking the Path:

1. On the Digital Divide: Why Improving Access is NOT Enough
2. Think Boomers Aren’t Using Social Media? Think Again (Especially in Health)
3. Google SideWiki & 5 Ways Health Organizations Can Anchor Themselves in the Social Media Storm