Personal Learning Networks
What does it mean to network using social media?
Networking is an indispensable skill in our lives, especially today, the frequent use of social software and the network has transferred the network to a new platform. we can expand the scope and depth of our networking through social media.
How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?
I encourage people to use social media to broaden their personal learning networks, to meet all kinds of people to broaden their horizons and get connections with people. Making connections with other professionals supports the development and growth of professionals’ careers (Cross, et al., 2003; Dulworth, 2006; Krattenmaker, 2002). I personally use LinkedIn to develop my professional career, where I have met many seniors in the industry, and their opinions have provided a good guide for my career development.
What are the risks & rewards of public communications?
While social media brings us convenience, it also brings all the negative effects. Of course, when we are exposed to social media, we are more or less exposing our privacy and defects to more people. So, we need to be very careful with our comments and actions on social media so as not to affect our lives and careers. We also need to be careful to identify and prevent online fraud. I know that many people now use social media to meet strangers and hope to develop relationships. But when you don’t know a person, exposing your private life on social media is very dangerous. Because you don’t know why that person approached you. However, as Boyd (n.d.) said in the paper, online privacy is not a problem that has just been discovered now, but the excessive exaggeration of the media makes people panic. In the future, people will be more networked. The key is how to make people share their lives without being disturbed.
Digital Identity
What is a digital identity?
Digital identity is your presence online, it includes everything you post, share. It is your footprint on the web, and it is searchable. Everything you do online represent your digital identity.
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
Base on the example Stoller, E. (2016, November 25) mentioned in the video, people can find jobs base on their post online, which means digital identity increase the potential job opportunity. It is also like a pre-interview when your potential employers see your post. And for sure people’s careers might be dented or diminished base on their inappropriate behaviour or their post is detrimental. Therefore, for me in terms of personal digital identity, I will post stuff that is related to my private life, while in the professional social account, there will be information about work skills, job experiences, and carer connections. In this way, I separate my life into work mode and personal mode, in order to control my privacy.
How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?
The integration of digital identities in networked publics mainly relies on people’s personal life and career life. It will bring positive effects and some negative effects at the same time, which is inevitable. When we expose our information on the Internet, our information will not be completely controlled by us, and the meaning and purpose conveyed will also be distorted and amplified. Different people have different opinions on our behaviour and expression. For example, some people will get to know you in advance through their digital identity, so they are more interested in you and establish deeper connections. There will also be people who refuse to have a deeper understanding of you because of your digital identity before giving you any opportunity to meet each other face to face.
There are more benefits of digital identity include making more like-minded friends, bringing benefits to oneself and others, building deeper relationships, and breaking the ice easily when making new friends. In terms of negative impact, there is the risk of privacy leakage. We need to always pay attention to your words and deeds on social media, and we need to bear the different voices of more people.
References
Rajagopal, K., Brinke, D. J., Bruggen, J. V., & Sloep, P. B. (2012). Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them. First Monday, 17(1). doi:10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559
Rob Cross, Thomas H. Davenport and Susan Cantrell, 2003. “The social side of performance,” Sloan Management Review, volume 45, number 1, pp. 20–24.
Michael Dulworth, 2006. “Enhancing personal and professional development: The role of peer networks,” Employment Relations Today, volume 33, number 3, pp. 37–41.
Tom Krattenmaker, 2002. “A blueprint for constructing a personal and professional network,” Harvard Management Communication Letter, volume 5, number 4, pp. 3–4.
Boyd, D. (n.d.) Networked Privacy. Surveillance & Society 10(3/4). https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked/networked
Stoller, E. (2016, November 25). Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0
Hi Kewen. You did a great job! I really enjoy your blog, your blog background color is special, could you please tell me your background color number?
I think the social media has a lot of benefits for our generation. For example, I know a lot of information from your blog right now and I can be more interested in your blog in the future. I agree with you that social media brings us some disadvantages. I only mentioned privacy leakage in my blog, but you also mentioned online fraud. This is really a question worth thinking about, how to protect our privacy in the Internet, and also to avoid being defrauded.
In addition, you mentioned in the benefits of digital identity to us that it can help people find jobs faster, I have the same view with you. Companies are not only looking at people’s resumes in today, but also what they say and do on the Internet.
Your post gave me a lot of inspirations, and your quotes were well placed. Hope to see more of your blogs.
Good luck 🙂
Joerica
Hi Kewen! I enjoyed reading your blog post. Something that stood out for me was your point about how others’ perception of you can affect how they interact with you. The idea that the opinion of you formed by your socials could either motivate them to make a connection with you online even before you meet in real life, or could turn someone away from even wanting to meet you face to face. I think this ties in well with the discussion on personal vs. professional digital identities. No matter which digital identity you are curating, the first impression you are giving to potential connections should be considered.
Hi Kewen, I thought your positive outlook on the usefull applications of social media throughout the blog was very well thought out and persuasive. Social media nowadays while so widly used is often met with a certain disdain for the negative effects it can cause on ones mental health. While this is ofcourse true you touched on how usefull a tool it can be for broadening ones perspectives and meeting all sorts of people one would not usually connect with. I also agree with your point about professional connections online being very important. At least in the corporate world making connections online with sites like LinkedIn is for sure a necessity!