First-Generation Students and College: The Role of Facebook Networks as Information Sources

Grace Jeon, Nicole Ellison, Christine Greenhow, Bernie Hogan · 2016 · Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing

Honourable Mention DOI

[PLACEHOLDER: Annotation on how first-generation college students use Facebook networks for information seeking. Award: Honorable Mention.]

Appears in themes

Platforms and Power

The College Connect application used Facebook's social graph to visualize prospective college students' networks, with social media information access being significant only for first-generation students, those with the least institutional knowledge. Platform data, when made legible to users rather than hoarded by the platform, can redistribute informational advantage.

Networks as Epistemology

Social media information access was significant only for first-generation students, those whose parents lacked college knowledge, demonstrating that the epistemological value of network connections is inversely related to institutional access. Networks don't just transmit information; they constitute it differently for differently positioned actors.