{"id":462,"date":"2014-10-15T20:28:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-15T20:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=462"},"modified":"2015-10-13T19:03:07","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T19:03:07","slug":"linking-up-with-new-social-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2014\/10\/15\/linking-up-with-new-social-networks\/","title":{"rendered":"Linking Up With New Social Networks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent media buzz over two new social networks, each challenging part of Facebook and Twitter\u2019s model, raises questions about how people cultivate connections. Ello<\/a> launched with a manifesto against corporate social media and drew a number of new users<\/a> unhappy with Facebook\u2019s \u201creal name\u201d policy. While their stance on selling data is still in question, another new network is proud to cash in. Netropolitan.club,<\/a> billing itself as the next new elite social network, charges $9,000 for exclusive access <\/a>to connect with everyone else who paid the admission fee. Their success hinges on a chicken and egg question: do we join new groups that give us what we want, or do our current networks shape what we want in the first place?<\/p>\n

Classic network research argues that your ties\u00a0shape what you want, and recent studies of political activism show how this works. People often join activist groups with personal motives and later learn <\/span>their political stances through the group\u2019s social ties.<\/h5>\n