Thesis Title: Subtitle

Spatial Translucence

Since Facebook encapsulates more than just close friendship connections, revelation about taste and opinion via Facebook may burst its seemingly homophilic bubble. Given that Facebook is focused on mapping individuals’ social relationships, it is unsurprising that the inclination of individuals to form relationships with those like themselves is reflected in this space. In addition to Facebook’s homophilic nature, the architecture of Facebook is also characterised by what I term spatial translucence. The term spatial

translucence is an attempt to account for the mundane, jarring and sometimes disruptive glimpses into neighbouring parochial spaces that Facebook affords users. More specifically, spatial translucence describes the way in which spaces are separate from each other, but still visually connected. That is, some aspects of other spaces are visible to those outside. The way Facebook is designed means that users often glimpse into adjacent spaces. However, these glimpses are often partial, distorted and decontextualised similar to looking through frosted glass. For example, the image below is an example of this spatial translucence. Although I am a friend with M on Facebook, I am not a member of Grognard’s Ghost Division (a group). Facebook enables me to see some of what happens in this group, because my ‘friend’ M has commented on a photo. As access to this group is restricted, I am unable to see further than this, and the post itself is stripped of context. Thus I get a small glimpse into an adjacent space, not through intent, but rather through a quirk of Facebook’s architecture that sometimes renders scraps of information visible across parochial spaces.

Fig. 3: Spatial translucence in action.

Adapting from De Certeau (1984), this mirrors the act of walking and it situates space in relation to each other, although this is partial, and not unobstructed. Despite its utility, De Certeau’s example of walking the city has its limitations in this context. However, as demonstrated in the above example, glimpses into other spaces help situate them (and
the individuals who use them) in relation to each other. Consequently, Facebook’s space,
instead of being characterised by the movement between spaces can be understood by the characteristics of its architecture. Accordingly, Facebook can be defined by its translucent, not fully transparent qualities, which obscure and reveal differentiated positions. While some glimpses into adjacent parochial space may be small and mundane, others are more socially significant. Socially significant disclosures help define Facebook as a social space. As space is socially constructed, characteristics are determined by what people do in that space. Thus, admissions of personal details in a parochial space help reinforce its status as parochial. For example, for Sally (F, 24), Facebook’s parochial status is reinforced when too many private details are presented causing reputational damage. Below, Sally describes an inappropriate use of Facebook to emphasise to me some of the boundaries she places on her Facebook use. Using Facebook to reveal private and intimate use of one’s private life was presented as unsavoury and scandalous; precisely because it contravenes what Sally perceive to be usual and acceptable use of Facebook.

Inappropriate use of Facebook as a public forum: announcing that you’re pregnant, tagging your not-so-structured partner, that he is the partner. Having a huge public fight [about it] on Facebook, [then] returning to Facebook a couple of months later, with him saying, “I thought you had an abortion.” And then having another rant about that in a public space, and then eventually, she did have an abortion...It was very public… The guy ended up finding out that she got pregnant, and later had an abortion via Facebook. Like, his friends would have seen it before he did…he doesn’t check Facebook much.

When discussions such as these that belong in the private realm occur in a parochial space, they have the potential to do reputational damage, as the parochial space offers none of the anonymity of the public realm. Thus, the use of Facebook as a social space further helps define what type of space Facebook is. The example above demonstrates that the ‘proper meanings’ of Facebook as a parochial space, can be disrupted or contested through use.