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New Jersey

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. With over 1,000 people per square mile, it is nearly impossible to avoid social contact. In a crowded and diversely populated state such as New Jersey, social networking takes place in both physical and virtual forms. New Jersey's urban, suburban, and rural populations conduct their social networking in many of the same places residents of other states do; on public transit, at office water coolers, in hair salons and barbershops, in churches and schools, at bars and restaurants, and through clubs and organizations.

Virtual forms of social networking continue to grow as the Internet and technology provide more opportunities for groups with the same backgrounds, interests, and goals to connect. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube allow for conversation, collaboration, and sharing on popular topics in the state such as sports and politics.

New Jersey's identity has always been deeply entwined with its neighboring states in the region. The residents are often divided by their identification with the New York area or the Philadelphia region. New Jersey is part of the media and marketing area labeled the “tri-state” region that includes parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, centering on Manhattan. It is also part of the Delaware Valley tri-state area that includes parts of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, centered on Philadelphia. This central location among major northeast cities challenges New Jersey with finding its own social identity and establishing its own social networks while providing residents with access to the surrounding social networks.

Sports and Politics: Meet at the Diner

Sports fans in New Jersey provide an excellent example of how New Jersey is divided by identity to the surrounding cities. Those in the southern region of the state (below Trenton) are loyal to Philadelphia teams. Those in the northern part of the state are loyal to New York Teams. Many residents located in the center of the state are split, as they have had media access to both the Philadelphia and New York media markets. New Jersey does not have a professional football team, despite the fact that both the National Football League's New York Giants and the New York Jets play and practice in New Jersey. the new Jersey's National Basketball Association basketball team (Nets) and the National Hockey League hockey team (Devils) are both located in the northern part of the state, leaving the southern sections out of the media market and out of easy travel distance to the games.

It has traditionally been a challenge for New Jersey's own professional teams to attract New Jersey fans. There is evidence that the New Jersey teams are reaching out to fans through social networking in an effort to connect with and perhaps attract more fans. With Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, the teams are able to reach out to those who were previously out of the area markets. The New Jersey Devils Twitter account provides fans with a virtual play-by-play of every game, updating their feed as quickly as every two seconds as the puck is played. Fans beyond the radio and television broadcasts can still catch the action. The team's Facebook page provides news and information as well as opportunities for fans to enter contests to win tickets to games and other promotional items. The fan base is active with comments, discussion, and conversations on every posting. This social networking encourages fans to upload photos and engage each other in conversations and provides the team with a way to appeal to a broader fan base.

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