Writing

Click below for electronic copies for selected papers I’ve authored or co-authored.

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Lynn, Randy and James C. Witte. 2010. “Learning to Like Facebook? Social Categories, Social Network Site Selection, and Social Network Site Uses.” Annual meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society and North Central Sociological Association, March 31-April 3, Chicago, IL. (PDF, 192 KB)

Previous studies seeking to identify the characteristics, uses, and motives of social network website behaviors have identified several social structural and social psychological correlates, yet methodological limitations and rapidly changing user populations have prevented a comprehensive evaluation of who uses social network sites, how, and why. This paper presents preliminary results from a broad study of social network site use, suggesting that expressive Internet use, educational attainment, and social capital are all significant indicators of social network site behavior among adult users.

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Lynn, Randy. 2009. “Teens, Tribunes, and Tribulations: Representations of Youth and Technology in Mass Media.” (PDF, 271 KB)

A public sociology position paper examining how essentialist and determinist constructions of youth and technology in mass media act as vehicles for exploitative adult beliefs and fears related to power, control, and norm preservation. This paper was a winner of the District of Columbia Sociological Society’s 2010 Irene B. Taeuber Graduate Student Paper Award.

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Lynn, Randy. 2009. “Learning to Like Facebook? Effects of Cultural and Educational Capital on the Use of Social Network Sites in a Population of University Students.” M.A. Thesis, Department of Sociology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. (PDF, 778 KB)

This study explores the reasons why university students prefer to join or participate frequently in one social network website (SNS) over another. Drawing from previous research into motivations and environmental factors influencing SNS behavior, a theoretical model of SNS selection and frequency of use is constructed and evaluated. Random sampling methods are used to generate a population of students from a midwestern, urban, public university with an enrollment of nearly 16,000. Subjects responded to a questionnaire soliciting information regarding personal characteristics and SNS behaviors, and additional data was extracted from a content analysis of SNS profiles. The results show that attachment, age, and educational capital are the primary factors associated with SNS preference, while the effect of cultural capital is minimal. Limitations and implications are discussed.