- Building something that engages and requires time and energy. Having a PLN that is public and engaging requires risk assessment and policy understanding, consider the following:
– How does social media engage communications?
Social media engage communications because of the nature of public media 2.0. According to Jansen et al. (2011)’s chapter 4, the core function of public media 2.0 is: “People come in as participants and leave recognizing themselves as members of a public–a group of people commonly affected by an issue, whatever their differences about how to resolve it. These projects have provided a platform for people to meet, learn, exchange information, and discuss solutions. They have found each other and exchanged information on an issue in which they all see themselves as having a stake” (Jansen et al., 2011, p. 59). Unlike public media 1.0, which not only limits information sources but also public participation on social issues, public media 2.0 created an ideal public discourse in which all people could have equal access to discuss public matters only if they have the access to the internet.
– How does social media challenge communications?
One of the problems about social media that Jensen et al. (2011) pointed about is that: “We now have the digital tools to facilitate participatory public media, but we do not yet have the policies, nor do we have the public will. In fact, we are now barely seeing the glimmers of what is possible. And yet, now is the time to act to secure public media 2.0 future generations” (Jensen et al., 2011, p. 62). That is, although we have the access to public discourse using social media, the conversation that takes place in this new public discourse might not be meaningful. Without policies and regulations, we could be using social media carelessly and thoughtlessly.
– Is it inclusive?
As Jensen et al. (2011) say: “Inclusion is not just a side issue in public media. In order to function well, public media projects and platforms designed to engage stakeholders around issues must be both accessible to and representative of the entire population” (Jensen et al., 2011, p. 62). In my perspective, inclusion is not about “all or none”, inclusion should be measured as “levels of inclusivity” rather than termed as “whether it is inclusive or not”. Social media certainly increased levels of inclusivity compared to public 1.0, but it also excludes some minorities, for example, people who are short-sighted, or people that are non-digital natives, or people who have no access to the internet.
– Does your PLN amplify the views of others?
I certainly think my PLN amplifies the views of others. We use social media platforms to learn from each other rather than express our ideas mindlessly. For example, we utilize file sharing link function on Mattermost to facilitate collaborations which helps us to learn better.
2. 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?
The benefit of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing is that we get different perspectives on the same matter. Professional community and collaboration are how we get things done, and it is almost always beneficial than harmful to have multiple perspectives when we are working on something. For example, last semester, my PLN did complex research on the 2019 Hong Kong protest. We need to collect data using Facebook and Twitter, then organize and code the data into tables. It is a fascinating assignment because not only we are studying how messages of protests, and messages for protests spread on social media, we are also using social media to analyze social media. In completing the assignment, members in my PLN offered their opinions on the protest, some defend the protesters, some think that police brutality was evoked by the protesters. As a result, we did not take a side, and we expressed all of our opinions in that assignment. The high grade of the assignment lets me see how important is to have multiple perspectives on social issues like that. In the end, the assignment is more than just an assignment, it is more like a conversation that did not suppress anyone’s voices on a serious public issue.
3. Research our guests and see how they leveraged their network into a campaign. Reflect in your blog on this effort.
I looked into Markiel Simpson’s Twitter and his Twitter posts reflected his identity as a community organizer and a public speaker who committed to improving the lives of the Black community and eliminating racism in B.C schools. But more importantly, his Twitter posts demonstrated that he is just a person, like any of us, who cares about our own community and tries to speak up. On Sept 27, he said: “Regardless of a political party, I will always commit myself to make space for the voices and leadership of the most marginalized who are fighting for a better world, because their presence makes us all better” (@MarkielSimpson, Sept 27).
Source used:
Media & Social Justice
http://ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/login?url=http://www.palgraveconnect.com/doifinder/10.1057/9780230119796
CHAPTER 4 A New Vision for Public Media Open, Dynamic, and Participatory Jessica Clark and Patricia Aufderheide
Comments
Hi ZiWang, I like the way you engage in our course topic with your personal experience. As you mentioned, you have use diverse ways of research for your assignment, and you have been able to gain information from different platforms. Which help you to analyze, to learn, and to get a decent grade from it.
I like your example very much. In life, PLN does magnify the views of others, but it also facilitates our understanding of the diversification of PLN. So as to help us learn better and establish our own values.
Hi Ziwang, I like how you’ve reinforced your blog with sources. I also agree with you that a diverse PLN allows sharing of ideas and perspectives. Members from different backgrounds can explain their understanding of different ideas, which opens others to different perspectives.