Month: September 2023

This week we discussed Digital Identity and Personal Learning Networks, which are two aspects of our society that are continuously growing and becoming more prevalent as technology becomes further integrated into our lives.

Our digital identity is formed just like our offline identity, through our shared understandings, discourses and perceived realities and are made through connections as humans search for meaning and belonging in their lives. Digitally, humans are able to form connections and find spaces where their identity is cultivated through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. We are able to create unique and personalized online spaces for ourselves tailored to our sets of interests, opinions, and values. We choose who to follow or friend, who to interact with and what we like. In the learning pods this week, Lily and I related this from our personal experience back to the Identity Making and Social Media article. I talked about how this process can often lead to the false reality that everyone around us thinks the same way as us and holds the same opinions as we do, because this is reinforced by the extreme level of curation. Our digital identity is also formed by the way we present ourselves online, which was touched on in the What is Digital Identity video. The commentator stated that “everything that you post, share, how you engage with and treat other people and how you use digital tools” (Stoller, 2016) are all factors that form our footprint online. This portion of the video can be related to one of the articles we read last week, titled Surveillance and Society. Both the video and this article discussed how our digital footprint can sometimes be a disadvantage of social media and having a digital identity, as others interpretations of how we present ourselves online can sometimes be negative.

The concept of digital identity is also greatly related to personal learning networks. As we discussed last week, our personal learning networks are created through the development of our online and offline identities; thus our digital identity is a part of our personal learning network which is the greater web of all of our connections from which we learn. The Identity Making and Social Media article describes how digital spaces are constantly being used by us to collect information throughout our daily lives and have made it increasingly easy to access to platforms such as newsfeeds, forums about our interests and important social movements.

Our digital identity is also able to relate back to last week’s discussion on professional networks. Professional networks are created through, “the act of making connections with other professionals” (Rajagopal, 2012) and also fall under the larger category of a personal learning network. Professional networks can be facilitated through our digital identity, which is discussed in the article from this week entitled Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who Am I?. The author describes DPI, or digital professional identity, “that develops through internet based social interactions by utilizing online platforms and communication tools” (Jawed, et al., 2019), and emphasizes the importance of internet communication on the development of a professional identity. It is evident that our digital identities and the professional networks we create are extremely interlinked.

References:

Boyd, D. (n.d.). Surveillance & Society. View of Networked Privacy. https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked/networked

Jawed, Saira; Mahboob, Usman; Yasmeen, Rahila. Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who am I?. Education for Health 32(1):p 33-35, Jan–Apr 2019. DOI: 10.4103/efh.EfH_232_17

Rajagopal, K., Joosten–ten Brinke, D., Van Bruggen , J., & B. Sloep, P. (2012). View of Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them: First Monday. View of Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them | First Monday. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/313

University of Derby. (2016, November 25). Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity? [Video]. Youtube.

What Does it Mean to Network Using Social Media?

Networking through social media can be an extremely useful tool for professionals, as it allows for the formation and renewal of relationships with others who work in similar fields and share the same views and goals. This concept was delved into in the Understanding Personal Learning Networks article, where the ways in which our personal learning networks shape our learning and help us advance our ideas. Personal learning networks can be described as our online and offline connections of people based on our specific interests (Rajagopal et al., 2012). Before social media, professionals would have to meet face to face, and would most likely only be connecting with those who live in the same area. Because of social media, networking can happen any time, any place with anyone. In the Personal Learning Network video, it was stated that our relationship with the internet and social media has been able to change the way we access and seek out information through communication (University of Southhampton, 2022). Using platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook, individuals are able to be constantly learning from each other, as the exchange of ideas is able to occur instantly. This allows for advancements in many fields to occur at a way faster pace.

When we discussed the topic of networking through social media in our learning pods, Lily made the connection to her experience as a business student. She discussed the importance and advantages of networking and connections to someone starting out in the business sector, and how this has become way easier due to the integration of social media into the professional sector. It would be incredibly difficult to begin a professional career without any insight or guidance from those around you, and without any support from peers in similar situations as you.

What are the Risks & Rewards of Public Communications?

There are many rewards of using public communication, but with those rewards come a few risks. One of the main benefits discussed in the Understanding Personal Learning Networks article are the many ways that public communication is able to enrich and support the growth of careers. This could occur through many different activities such as joining specific associations within a professional sector and creating online organizational spaces to build relationships. Public communication allows for tight-knit communities to be built, and provides professionals with constant support in their endeavours. It was recognized in the text that both strong and weak ties made through public communication actively contribute to one’s learning experience, as strong ties bring forth the collaborative creation of ideas and weak ties can be hubs for new information and ideas (Rajagopal et al., 2012). Public communication is greatly effective way to collaborate with others in professional environments, learn and share information and receive support from peers.

While the internet can be used as a helpful tool in those ways, there are also downsides that come with it. When we use public communications to connect with one another, we create an online image of ourselves that is interpreted by algorithms that are attempting to advertise information or products to us based on the presence we hold online. In the Surveillance and Society article, it was also noted that not just machines are viewing and analyzing the public persona individuals have online. Potential employers, college admissions boards, and even peers and parents are able to see what an individual has posted online, the comments they have made and the social spaces they align themselves with (Boyd, n.d). Often times, especially when people are younger and less aware, they will post videos or photos that may cause opportunities to be withheld from them later in life without realizing how permanent a digital footprint can be.

In our learning pods this week, I discussed the importance of being wary of one’s digital footprint and the ways in which it could be interpreted or judged by others. Olivia reinforced that point when she discussed how, “these days there are hardly any employers that don’t check someone’s social media before sending a job offer” and that it “heavily represents who you are as a person” in the eyes of professionals. I thought this really drove home the severity of how our public connections can be a potential risk, as an individual could be completely qualified for a job position on paper, but be rejected from the position because of their unsavoury online presence.

How are we Motivated to Participate in Networked Publics?

There are many factors that influence the ways in which we participate in networking with others. These motivations are often based on our personal and professional values and goals. The Understanding Personal Learning Networks article outlines this topic well. In terms of professional interests, one may be influenced by factors such as which connections would benefit their career the most, and network to create opportunities for growth and progression. This can often be done through the attendance of specific conferences that would be populated by individuals with knowledge and experience useful to the professional (Rajagopal et al., 2012). In terms of personal values, a professional may be looking for others based on common interests or connections, the reputations of others, what organizations they are connected to or even if they believe they are a good person (Rajagopal et al., 2012). Individuals wish to connect with those who are likeminded, as that would decrease potential for conflict.

References:

Boyd, D. (n.d.). Surveillance & Society. View of Networked Privacy. https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked/networked

Rajagopal, K., Joosten–ten Brinke, D., Van Bruggen , J., & B. Sloep, P. (2012). View of Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them: First Monday. View of Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them | First Monday. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131

University of Southhampton. (2022). What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)? FutureLearn. Retrieved September 19, 2023, from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644.