How does social media engage communications?
Social media engages communications by its very nature as a social platform. Social media provides individuals the ability to create and proliferate a digital identity, and through their digital identity, they can also interact with others digital identities. This process is a unique method of communication as it allows for two people to interact with only one of them needing to be āpresent.ā That is, I can interact with people based on what they have already done on (almost) any given social media by looking at their profile, which allows for a unique kind of asynchronous unilateral communication that is only made possible by social media and the internet. On top of that, many social media platforms build in systems of direct messaging or commenting on posts and profiles that allows for bi/multilateral real time communication through the use of text chat, voice recordings, emoji/emoticons, and the sharing of other posts from the social media. Part of what makes this so revolutionary in terms of how we as a people communicate is that it gives far more opportunity than ever before for people to organize around things without the impetus of geography. Previously, it was very difficult to organize widespread movements since there was a limit to how fast information could spread, and how fast any 2 individuals could reasonably communicate. But now that internet access is more widespread, even into developing nations, people are able to get involved in the global community and communicate, organize, and push for change in revolutionary new ways and speeds.
How does social media challenge communications?
However, one drawback of online communication and social media digital identities are often that it is just as easy to fracture communities into smaller tribes of people over superficial differences as it is to rally them together into an organized global movement. Since posts exist in perpetuity, they may overstay their context and now have a different implication, which can cause disagreement between people. Additionally, since most social media communication is built using text chat and designed both systemically and by the individual to craft and uphold a particular digital identity, a lot of nuance from people being more expressive of their beliefs and from other communication aspects like tone or body language are lost. Additionally, we have to consider the aspects of privacy and performativity that online communication often entails, particularly in the professional setting, as discussed in previous posts.
Is it inclusive?
In this dialectic of social media being a powerful community building tool as well as a platform that often lacks nuance and stokes the flames of interpersonal conflict, we can uncover another dialectic regarding its inclusivity. On the one hand, since it is indisputably such a powerful tool for the creation of community, the fact of the matter is that no matter who you are or what you believe, there is a community out there that you will be able to feel at home with. Socially, this can have both positive and negative impacts; take my previous examples of social media as a tool for queer people who are unable to or currently too uncomfortable to come out publicly finding a space online to explore their identity in a positive, constructive, safe and healthy manner, and contrast that with the role that social media played in organizing the Q-Anon movement and subsequently the storming of the capitol building on Jan 6th. On the other hand, since social media does strip much communication of its nuance, it can be additionally difficult for neurodivergent people to navigate the space, and disagreements that could be hashed out peacefully in-person blow up into huge bouts and can fracture communities and organizations and leave people feeling excluded for what amounts to minor, harmless differences. That isnāt to say that this is the rule however; there are plenty of spaces online that work to be more inclusive in both of these metrics, with the usage of things like tone indicators, which serve to clarify and make more explicit the tone that the author means for a message to have, and communities online that are able to resist self-destructing in the say that so many other online communities do.
Does your PLN amplify the views of others?
I definitely like to think that my personal learning network amplifies the views of others, as I want to be the best person that I can be, and a big part of that comes from listening to people that have life experience I do not. I donāt just take it as gospel, I always try to contextualize it and consider it on my own terms, and sometimes even disagree outright, but I always work to be respectful of people and listen to what they have to say. However, I am aware that I have my own biases, and limitations on my own thoughts, ideas, and perceptions based on my positionality; as a white person, even if I seek out and listen to POC, I will never have a truly complete understanding of what it is like to live as a POC in the world that we inhabit, for example. As hard as I work, I will never be able to see things truly objectively, and even if I could, Iām not sure that would even be the best way to go about things. I am sure that there are plenty of people and viewpoints out there that I couldnāt even conceive of, and may never end up interacting with due to the limits that I have. But I do my best, and I am only human, so I would say that my PLN amplifies the view of others about as well as could be expected for any community that works to improve itself.
The policies of employer social media communication expectations.
Personally, I think that social media communication policy should work to prevent employees from doing harm to other people online, but after that, thatās it. I donāt think that my employer has any right to moderate my behaviour outside of the office as long as I am not doing anybody harm, even if there may be things that I do that are āunprofessional.ā I think that the concept of professionalism is something that works to alienate people and while I can certainty understand that being polite and cordial to people is good, and acting professional in that manner is something that can be very useful in many situations, I think professionalism as a state of behaviour that must be adhered to is detrimental to humanity on the whole. To be clear, Iām not saying that we shouldnāt be treating other people with respect and kindness, which I am still firmly in support of, but rather that the reduction of the self into an instrument to be wielded by an employer or a customer kind of professionalism is something that has no place in the ideal world. As such, I donāt want an employer putting limits on my āself,ā especially when I am no longer on company time.
How to better use social media to build PLN – Influencers & Commentators
Related to my previous post, I think that a great way to go about this is to seek out pre-existing communities within the āgenreā of whatever thing/topic it is that you are looking to expand your PLN in regards to, and social media is a great place to do this, due to its community building attributes as discussed above. Beyond that, I think that using social media to expand your PLN is very similar to how you would go about it in real life; that is, you āmeet peopleā by seeing their posts or profiles, then reach out by interacting with their posts or profiles, and build that connection using the communication methods above. The uniqueness comes from the fact that you also have a profile through which others can reach out to you, so making sure that you are accessible through that avenue as well is also a good idea.
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