Month: February 2023

• Building a reputation and trust in a connected culture can be difficult; how are you building a network of individuals who are dynamic, reliable, & participatory?

• I have long since neglected the intended building of networks using social media. My network consists of high school and university friends, co-workers, and people I’ve met travelling. It is a space of safety and comfort within which I can post pictures of my life without the need of perfection or the threat of hate. I don’t seek out new followers or engage with people I don’t know personally and perhaps this is limiting the benefits of a PLN. However, the network I have created out of real-world friendships is a space where people are participatory and reliable. For example, if I post a photo of the beach on my Instagram, I will have friends comment on, like, or direct message me about the post. This kind of engagement allows further conversation and connection to flourish, and it is reciprocated. Though my network may be limited to those I trust, I also trust them to be dynamic and engaging within each context.

• Are you leveraging healthy relationships from your PLN for growth?

• To be honest, I would say no. Though I understand social media and PLNs are greatly important in both personal and professional domains, I tend to forget about using them. In an age where technology has made communication easier than ever, I am beginning to reject social media as a whole and I don’t particularly enjoy using it. I don’t particularly care to create growth online, but rather have been focused on creating growth for myself in my real life world. While there are numerous benefits of social media and PLN use, I have found that social media tends to harm my mental health more than help it. For many people, social media can be a challenging space of perpetual negative comments, unhealthy comparisons, and perfected highlight reels of experiences. Perhaps this will change as I merge into the professional world and require a professional PLN, but for now I do not utilize my PLN for growth.

• How would you create a PLN prior to engaging in a social media campaign on a topic of your choice? Consider how you would introduce yourself to others consider how you would engage in initial conversation to generate interest in your campaign professionally.
• To answer this question, I’ll use an example of creating a social media campaign for participating in climate change action, such as organizing beach clean-ups around Victoria. Firstly, I would choose multiple platforms on which to build a PLN as a way of generating interest across diverse modes of delivery. I would use Instagram to build an initial basis for introducing myself and connecting with others more personally, through direct messages and interacting with posts. I would introduce myself through highlighting my personal interest in taking action to fight climate change and my aims for the campaign. I would create multiple engaging and educational posts that link to work other activists have been doing and generate an interest in being part of the community. To reach greater audiences, I would work to build a professional PLN based around climate change activism and reach out to others in my area with similar interests. Secondly, I would create a linked TikTok account, because I view TikTok as being an effective platform to gain more connections and spread the campaign further. I would create engaging videos of myself cleaning up beaches, talking about the effects of climate change, and the issues most salient to Vancouver Island. Similarly to Instagram, I would also use TikTok to find similar people, comment on their videos and perhaps plan a collaboration. I would build my professional identity around being engaging, reciprocal, and highly interested in collaboration, both digitally and in the world. To do so, I would be active in commenting, responding to comments, and direct messaging others in order to create this environment.

Thanks for reading everyone!

• Explore the videos provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in professional capacity
• In professional capacities, the use of PLNs can be both beneficial and harmful. If we consider PLNs as existing on any platform where individuals intend to connect with and learn from each other, this can extend to social media posts as well. In the video from Common Sense Education, they encourage teachers to utilize PLNs as a way of broadening one’s professional and personal spheres of communication. This video emphasized the positive aspects of PLN use, given that these individuals are engaging online in a positive manner. I do think that social media PLNs can be very beneficial in increasing skills, tools, and lesson plans for educators. As I come from a psychology background, I think about this in terms of finding innovative and compassionate ways of engaging diverse learners. For example, a teacher who has a child with Autism in their class may be able to connect with educators who have the necessary skills and knowledge to help. The teacher could then discover new ways of engaging the student in learning, skill strategies for challenging moments, and adjust their style of teaching for this student. On the other hand, as the video from Steward Fundamentals showcased, social media PLNs can have a detrimental effect on professional environments. When professionals do not use their PLN in a positive manner, but rather an overtly negative manner, there are consequences. In the examples shown, the individuals were using their PLN to spread negativity and sexual harassment, thus violating codes of conduct. Social media, though pervasive in society, is often thought of as a personal expression rather than a public display. This leads to a sense of anonymity and false security, which is when such posts are created. In this aspect, when used negatively, PLN use hinders professional development.

• Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

In thinking about this question, the first platform that comes to mind is YouTube. I would argue that YouTube is a social media site which is extremely beneficial in education. Personally, I think I’ve been watching YouTube videos in classes practically since the platform launched in 2005 and this week’s videos provide concrete evidence. YouTube is home to millions of educational videos from TedTalks to Hank Green’s Crash Course, a series of videos that pretty much saved my grades in biology. Having such a vast expanse of multi-disciplinary educational videos enables teachers to bring in new information and students to further their learning. Another platform that I consider to be educationally beneficial is TikTok. To be honest, I have learned a lot from watching TikTok videos that span from health to science to archeology to psychology. Though I wouldn’t be surprised to see teachers showing their classes certain TikTok videos, I think TikTok remains a more private source of education. For example, I watched a video on prosocial activities for pre-schoolers and then went to work and proposed we implement the activities there. In this way, I am both learning and teaching, using this one TikTok as the basis.

• When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?

In my opinion, social media use requires consent. This is not a universal rule, of course, but I believe it to be especially important when working with vulnerable sectors. It does depend upon the sector in question and the governing bodies that create the regulations for social media use. I currently work with children as an employee of a licensed daycare, and we have extremely strict rules on social media use and photographs. As children are a vulnerable population, they must first have parental consent to any photograph taken, even if it goes nowhere. Secondly, as employees, we are forbidden from ever posting images of the children, explicitly saying their names online, or posting anything about them at all on our personal social media. In fact, any images we do take of the kids must be deleted from our camera roll in the event of theft or misuse. However, we do have a secure, password protected, app called Workplace where we are encouraged to post pictures of the children and what we are doing that day. Workplace is confined to only the current employees of the center and is, ideally, confidential. On one hand, I think this is a great way for the staff to connect and see images of what craft or activity the kids were doing that day. On the other hand, I continuously question the true security of social media, particularly given that the app is owned by Facebook, which is not exactly the pinnacle of data protection. Though I have trust in my co-workers, the truth is that any of them can go into the app and screenshot the images. I do not think any of us would actually maliciously do this, but the threat still exists. I believe this example is applicable to all vulnerable populations, and showcases the necessity of privacy and respect in social media use.

Discuss in the Mattermost group aspects of education outside of the traditional classroom, include dialogue about how education in the workplace in any capacity can consist of social media & what boundaries should be considered before encouraging discourse in a professional environment.

As social media use becomes increasingly important across multiple domains, it provides extensive opportunities for education. Outside of the classroom, platforms like YouTube and now, TikTok, have become hotspots for information sharing. Personally, I think I’ve learned more from watching Hank Green’s crash course and TikTok videos than from my first year biology course. However, this digital education extends beyond science, but to include social justice education worldwide. For example, without the brave voices speaking out to the world about the current Iranian revolution, it would be unlikely that us in the West would ever know. Another example is the Black Lives Matter movement that took center stage across social media in the spring of 2020, for it began with the dynamic use of widespread engagement. In these ways, social media has become a powerful tool for education, across countries and disciplines that exist outside of the classroom. In the workplace, social media also has its place in marketing, communication, user engagement, and prospective employee screening. In my job at a small restaurant, the company has effectively used Instagram to advertise our food and build a following of loyal customers. This use has provided education for the growing consumer base, but also the employees themselves. For me, I see the images they post of certain meals or drinks, and thus I can know exactly how the company wants it to be presented. However, because I use my personal Instagram when interacting with the company one, I must always be careful of my digital footprint and maintain professionalism. Thus, there are certain boundaries I do not cross, such as complaining about my job or posting negative comments about the company. As a whole, social media has become a central aspect in education, both within and outside the traditional classroom.

Thank you for reading!

References:

• What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

Based upon some of the V&R maps other students have posted this week as well as my own, I would say we currently use very few platforms. I personally don’t use LinkedIn, but some other students do, which I believe is an effective tool in building a professional network. In fact, I noticed that very few students use any form of professional networks and I believe this is a reflection of the stage of life we are in. At least for me, I have not yet entered into my field and thus I don’t particularly see the need to truly develop a professional network. As a psychology major, it is very challenging to work within psychology without a degree, most often a master’s degree. Thus, I have no credentials or qualifications that I can utilize to build a professional identity. Furthermore, I have held the same two jobs for the past three years; neither of them requiring a professional presence online, other than interacting on our employee websites.

• What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?

I think that all of us, as students, should consider the benefits of creating a professional network presence. Despite still being in school, with many of us having part time jobs, it is important to begin the process of building a professional identity that is separate from our personal one. For me, I will graduate this year with an extremely limited professional network and this is something I have begun to think about. I do think it is important to start this process but at the same time, but becoming a professional still seems so far away. I believe a good place to begin is likely on LinkedIn, and thus we should all consider the expansion of our professional digital identities.

• Thread Discussion: How do data privacy and security limit and promote a PLN? In your network, how can you create a digital identity/ reputation?

The creation of a successful PLN requires a strong balance between privacy and self-disclosure. If we consider a PLN as being primarily used in institutional settings, rather than personal ones, the user must be aware of their digital identity and what information is appropriate to disclose. It is imperative to remember that one’s digital identity is seen as a direct reflection of one’s real self, and thus becomes subject to judgement. For example, an individual who posts images or tweets about drinking or drug use is unlikely to attract professionals who can expand their PLN. In comparison, someone who posts about their field, or otherwise presents as a well rounded individual has the potential to successfully build a professional PLN. Now these two examples are not mutually exclusive, so it becomes a balance of disclosing certain aspects of the self while keeping others private. In my own network, I am very careful about what I post and which aspects of myself I share. I often consider how it will be seen by employers, family members, or other professional contacts. I work to curate a digital identity that emphasizes my interests in psychology (my major), literature, the outdoors, and travel. As social media becomes an increasingly important aspect in society, I believe that it is important to create a digital identity that showcases the best parts of myself and my life.

• Consider in your blog submission how an employer would respond if you applied for a job with them and they assessed your social media presence via your digital identity.

I believe this response is dependent upon the context of employment. I primarily use Instagram as my basis of digital identity, and I post images that are reflective of who I want to be seen as. The majority of my presence emphasizes my love of nature and travel, presenting a person who is free-spirited and connected to the earth. If either of my current employers had looked at my Instagram before hiring me, I truly do not think they would care at all. I do not post distasteful images, and thus I don’t think it would be a problem. However, if an employer was hiring me for a long term, stable position, I think they may have reservations about my ability to stay in one place for so long. Truth be told, I wouldn’t apply for a job that required such stability, but I’m sure they might question whether I was the right person for the job. I dislike being stuck in the same place for too long, despite my holding jobs for multiple years, I have continuously left and returned after travelling. I think, in most realistic contexts, any employer would respond with neutrality or positivity to my digital identity. Another aspect to this is the reality of ‘pretty privilege’ and the ability for more attractive people to be more liked. This is not to sound conceited, but simply a truth. For example, in the restaurant industry and many others, one is almost required to be attractive. I’ve worked in restaurants for years now, and I know this to be true because I have seen it happen. So, my digital identity is a reflection of my best self; the images where I look most attractive and happy. Therefore, in certain employment contexts, they would likely respond positively if I match the ideal image of who they want as an employee. Overall, I think any employer would either not care, or be more inclined to hire me, based upon my digital identity.

Thank you for reading!

References:

http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/editMap

https://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/quizzes/privacy-and-surveillance/ Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019).

http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/assets/documents/VRAMappingInstructions.pdf