Social Networking and the Composition Classroom

Maranto, Gina and Matt Barton. “Paradox and Promise: MySpace, Facebook, and the Sociopolitics of Social Networking in the Writing Classroom.” Computers and Composition 27.1 (2010): 36-47. Science Direct. Web. 15 March 2010.

In “Paradox and Promise…” Maranto and Barton explore the use of social networking sites in the writing classroom. Their main argument is that social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are tools that can both benefit and a danger to the writing classroom. Social networking sites provide a place for scholars and students to explore issues of identity construction, rhetoric, and the creation of discourse communities. However, teachers entering into this space can endanger the ethos of both the student and the teacher. The relationships created on these social networking sites undercut traditional rhetorical spaces by allowing a different less structured space for interaction. Even with the huge risks “as rhetoricians, we cannot afford to ignore the opportunities for learning, for social and political engagement, that online networking affords” (44).

            They begin the argument by defining social networking (MySpace and Facebook) and exploring research already established in social networking. They provide a glimpse at the major issues studies in social networking have explored: behavior, identity, and social standing. From here the argument moves to comparing or presenting social networking as a remediation of the high school activities of cruising and courtship. This presents social networking as another tradition or ritual that students take part in. The commonality is that “these rituals have always blurred the line between public and private (39).” The biggest fear about social networking or online, in general, is privacy. The Internet can be a dangerous place, and the authors point out that the biggest fear seems to be child pornography. From the coming together of child pornography and social networking via the Internet and social networking, many feel that virtual spaces are more dangerous than physical spaces. Social networking is a perfect space to create false identities, lure, deceive, etc. 

            However, it is also a great place for students to explore themselves and the world. Maranto and Barton share that social networking sites are great spaces to examine identity formation. It does stop there; there are also categories, labels, pop culture, politics, socialization, and a host of other things to be explored through social networking. Most eye opening is their arguments that social networking sites are tools that can help students become symbol analyst. They build off of Robert Reich’s argument about the need to train future generations to be symbol-analyst. Reich’s argument states, “The future of the world’s economy depends far less on mastering content than building and maintaining robust social networks, where ideas are quickly disseminated and acted on from points scattered all over the world. As their name implies, symbolic analysts thrive in the abstract world of the virtual (43).”  His theory focuses on the areas of “abstraction, system thinking, experimentation, and collaboration” (44). All of these elements are found in social networking.

            I found the article to be a good starting point. The authors provide a good overview of social networking along with the issues and theories connected with social networks. I would recommend this to any instructor who wants to know what all the fuss is about. I enjoyed the overview of the concerns, major studies, and the positives of social networking. However, I am ready for us to move past social networking as a place to examine identity formation; there are some many other things to be explored. I appreciated the connection they made to Reich’s research in symbols.  I have always been interested in this, and as we move further into media convergence, I think encouraging students to be symbol-analyst will become more common. It is directly connected to composition because of the ideas of abstraction and collaboration. Overall, this is a good starting point to explore how social networking can be used in writing classes. I would have liked to see some commentary on how it is currently being used. The dangers of it are well publicized and the popular benefits are known, but how are writing instructors using it in their courses?