Month: March 2021

After reviewing Jessie’s interview with Jody Vance, who is the first woman sports broadcaster in primetime in Canadian history, her stories are really encouraging. She spreads positive attitude through inspiring females to search for opportunities in social related workplace and to maintain self characteristics whenever you are, as a veteran storyteller. She seized opportunities to expand her personal learning network (PLN) and recognized Larry Gifford, who brought her into the broadcast area. Even though her mother told her “the sky is limit”, she still climbed up to realize her dream and became the first woman to host a sports show in Canada. She spoke about the benefit of constructing a PLN which provides connections to finding a career. As my HINF professor says, she encourages us to use LinkedIn, which is an employment-oriented online service, and to chat with the corporation’s manager about the latest career information and self plan to seek for more co-op positions. That’s the value of building PLN, besides gaining more educational knowledge. 

The basic function of PLN is to connect others and expand one’s knowledge and network through interactions. Even though notable individuals utilize PLN much in the same way ordinary ones would use it, their advantages are apparent. As many benefits of using social media, notable individuals should always mention their tone of voice and attitude. It can help them to promote social influence, grow business, and connect individuals in different fields. Since notable individuals have been under public attention, their claims and behaviors are more influential and could reach out to a large group of audience. I would argue that though supposedly they are fully responsible for their personal social media accounts, I consider these accounts public. These personal accounts are often used to promote personal and corporate interests for commercial and political reasons. Taking the example of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is famous for ‘tweeting’. He used twitter to deliver political messages, from a wide range of domestic political events to diplomatic relationships, In Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism, Hirst states that traditional forms of media suffer a declination as the new media emerges. Trump’s use of twitter maintained public focus and benefited himself in achieving political goals. However, Hirst also mentions that new media faces the problem of credibility because of the freedom granted to it. When Trump used Twitter to denounce his political enemy, the public should really reconsider his claim and testify its credibility. 

Reference:

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism (1st ed.). Routledge. Retrive from https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263

When investigating the relationship between social media and communication engagement, it would not be surprising that social media influence and motivate the public communication, including both positive and negative chats. Under the effect of social media, Clark and Patricia (2011) stated that “there’s more choice, more chance for conservation and curation, more collaboration with media makers and much more creation by users”. Users will not be excluded from the conversation due to their identity, sex, race, age or financial status; instead, they are equal and are incentived to participate online. Social media provides user’s right to freely communicate online, advocating more useful and meaningful discussion. Obtaining a diverse and inclusive Personalized Learning Network (PLN) will bring a new value of the world. People without discriminate and racism may start to appreciate and learn new things from other people. As Simpson (2021), who is a member of BC Community Alliance, said, people who judge diversity do not think about their advantages; we need to realize how containing diversity promotes our life, work, and society. When people eliminates discrimination and racism, they will gather information together to create a more inclusive community. 

In addition, chatting on social media decreases the issue of locating different regions and time zones, allows users to chat asynchronously, sometimes anonymously, and connects people with the same interested topic (Clark & Patricia, 2011). Medias such as Twitter, Facebook, and Weibo play similar functions to convey information, inform users, and even educate users. Using Hashtag (“#”) is a popular function in Twitter to interact and communicate with strangers online. Users can share comments about a specific topic such as #Social media influence, #Gender discrimination, etc. Within the discussion, user will explore diverse thoughts across race, gender, sex and age. People can reply to others by just quoting the comments, which reflects the advocacy of communication by using social media.

The usage of mobile devices increases conversations through social media utilization, which like to social development as well. Video apps such as Youtube, Bilibili are incentivized in educating people by providing virtual courses such as language learning, excel instructions, ppt tips, etc. I often take Korean learning courses on Youtube, which saves my time travelling to educational institutions and increases learning efficiency. I can watch the video depending on my schedule. University courses such as EDCI are taught on WordPress, offering student’s chance to create blogs online to share learning outcomes. Students can engage in weekly topics asynchronous and outside traditional classrooms, where students are able to choose a more comfort environment besides the classroom and more flexible time to learn.

I would like to hear different voices and learn lessons from other people because I believe each person has their advantages which I could learn and enhance. When people comment on my blog post, I am so glad to receive it. These comments will not only help to strengthen my understanding but also expand my knowledge. When I encounter opposite values on a topic, it’s an opportunity for me to learn from the other side; therefore, integrate my understanding from multiple levels. Diverse and inclusive PLN in social media allows participants to recognize themselves as “a member of [the] public”. “Publics are the element that keeps democracies democratic”, Clark and Patricia (2011) pointed to the function of social media. The public is necessary to engage in a diverse and inclusive PLN to know the current event.”

However, some side effects of social media may interrupt or impede the communication. Less governmental policies to regulate online conversation will bring negative influence. People who are anonymous can leave fake comments online which affect online security and environment. It is critical to double-check the content before users attempt to post online. People are required to have privacy policies to protect their identities and regulate their behaviours in social media usage. Clark and Patricia (2011) illustrated that policy about online participation should be enacted effectively and immediately, which includes “dedicated support for robust communication infrastructure, policies for privacy, freedom of expression and access, and education for self-expression”. With the enhanced policy, online communication safety will be guaranteed. More meaningful thoughts and comments could be produced from a diverse population in an inclusive community.

Reference:

Clark, J., and Patricia, A., “A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory.” Media and Social Justice, PDF file , Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, pp. 55-67.

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 02 – 22 Markiel Simpson.” YouTube, 22 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSpm1Lx8-A&feature=youtu.be.

Questions:

– what are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?

– How does social media engage in advocacy communications?

– How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?

-Does your PLN amplify the views of others?

-The policies of employer social media communication expectations.

-How to better use social media to Build PLN – Influencers & Commentators