In response to the questions posed, as well as our discussion, here are my thoughts regarding personal learning networks and the use of social media.

What does it mean to network using social media?

Networking itself can be loosely defined as a process of forming connections with professionals, using skills to understand others work and value in relation to one’s own. Networking by nature is egocentric, as the individual systematically forms and maintains connections with those who are expected to further their professional activities. Likewise, the use of social media is inherently egocentric, as users build and interact with a community of ‘followers’ that they choose. So, to bring the practice of  networking and social media together, it is a process of expanding one’s digital identity to center around professional interests with the intention of forming strong or weak connections with others in an online space. This process is directed towards finding professional connections who can potentially stimulate further knowledge and professional success, or simply be individuals to learn from, teach, or otherwise engage with. Networking is not only sharing in the attitude and intention of forming professional connections, but requires the maintenance and activation of these connections. Thus, networking using social media is not a passive experience of hitting ‘follow’ and ‘follow back’ but an active iteration of searching, communicating, and collaborating with others in the network. 

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

In my experience, the motivation to participate in networks, particularly social media sites is to; belong, communicate, teach, learn, work and be known. Social media is the way of the world today, for it has become the central node in global information sharing and collaboration. In my short lifetime I have watched sites such as TikTok turn from a platform for silly videos to a place where I can gain health advice, learn from scientists, watch others travel the world, and receive news updates all in a few scrolls. Social media sites are irreplaceable in our economic, political, educational, professional, and personal worlds, thus creating a dependency upon the sites themselves. We are motivated to use social media and networks to impart some of our small existence upon a larger sphere. In this era of social media, we desire to share our lives, to be known, to exist. In the professional world of networking, this idea is expanded to include employment and collaboration opportunities. If a professional does not engage in some kind of public network, whether LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok or even Indeed.com, how can an employer know they exist? In my workplace, which is a locally owned restaurant, individuals who hand off physical resumes are almost never contacted and instead we tend to hire people who reply to our ads on Indeed.com. This is not an intention, nor consciously decided, but rather an example of how systemically we rely upon public networks even in a relatively low-tech environment. Networks have become an irreplaceable tool within our society, and thus there is an intrinsic motivation for their use across professional and personal worlds.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

Social media and networked public spaces are a double-edged sword that has the potential for great benefit, but also great danger. I’ll begin with the risks. First and foremost, personal privacy has little space within these networks. A common colloquialism is that the internet is forever, meaning that once something exists it will be almost always be traceable. This transparency is again a double-edged sword. On one hand, an individual could be denied an excellent professional job over an distasteful image they posted in college. On the other hand, a violent criminal could be caught through tracing their location or activity online. Moreover, when an individual has gained recognition in the public sphere, anything they say or do is observed and critiqued. One example of this is ‘cancel culture’ wherein people are socially ostracized for an event deemed morally wrong by the public, often as a result of posts made years earlier. Furthermore, the distance and relative anonymity of networked spaces provides users with the freedom to say whatever they wish to others, including comments of racism, sexism, fatphobia and homophobia. These comments and the online ridicule can be extremely damaging for users’ mental health as well as their reputation online. However, networked spaces allow users to benefit from existing as part of a global community. The boundaries of space and time do not exist, and thus we have the ability to communicate and learn from others in any corner of the world. The relative anonymity within networks facilitates greater self-disclosure and may allow deeper connections to form between individuals. Through using networks, we put our privacy and wellbeing at risk while simultaneously opening ourselves up to diverse knowledge and global engagement. 

What are the benefits of a PLN?

As previously mentioned, PLNs and networked communication can present multiple benefits which can facilitate greater knowledge acquisition. First and foremost, the usage of PLNs allow learners to control their own consumption and production of knowledge without boundaries of time and space. This can be incredibly important, as it allows diverse perspectives to flourish and the ability for several types of knowledge to be distributed easily.  This dissemination of time and space allows learners to form connections with a global community and facilitate greater opportunities for personal and professional development. Learners can build and interact with their PLN, creating a uniquely individual experience within that network. The personalization that comes with networks allows the individual to build a digital identity and strengthen their specific interests in relevant topics. In the article by the University of Southampton, they mention the impact of climate change on the use and importance of PLNs. I believe this is a profound example of the way in which PLNs have become an everyday tool. Not only are motivated to utilize PLNs for our everyday obligations, but we can use them for social justice causes, such as climate awareness and racial profiling. We can learn from people whom we have never met and hear their unfiltered experiences; gaining  new perspectives for ourselves.

Thank you for reading!