This past week, I was assigned three different readings, all of which concerned personalized learning networks and digital identity from various perspectives. Following these three readings, three questions were posed by my professor, which I will use this blog post to reflect on and answer said questions.

What does it mean to network using social media?

I think, based on the post, What is a Personal Learning Network, from this week’s first author, Future Learn (n.d.), and my personal opinion, that networking using social media can be tricky to navigate but is worth the struggle as it can pose as a tremendously useful tool for connecting with others and growing your personal learning network (PLN). I say that it is tricky because social media is an inherently overwhelmingly large abyss of information, some of which can be redundant, factually inaccurate, carelessly unfiltered, and downright sickening. However, if one can entre into the ocean that is social media with the preconception that they are entering a world without any rules or regulations as their life raft, then I strongly believe that, when used wisely, social media can expand your mind and completely enrich all aspects of your life, including that of networking for the sake of creating a PLN. Compared to what once was of networking – getting all dressed up in your best business attire, leaving your home to attend a business event, and making an effort to sort through all of the other attendees until you found one, or two if you’re lucky, individual that not only shares your professional and personal interests, but also offers you the opportunity to learn from each other – social media cuts out all of the fat and goes straight to the bone of forming ties with likeminded peers, by offering online spaces that are niche and beaming with people who are ready to start a conversation with you. From the surface of LinkedIn, to the depths of Reddit, there is a space for everyone and anyone to connect on absolutely any topic with the mere click of a button. Thus, although meeting people in person offers its own benefits, social media should be revered as the future of networking.

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Although at face value, this question seems straightforward, I think that based on what Rajagopal et al. discussed in their article, Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them (2012), we need to take a closer look at the leading noun in this inquiry, we, which must be broken down and analyzed to properly answer the question at hand. This is because different groups come with their own set of motivations that reflect their unique needs. Take the individual for instance. A person is commonly motivated by the idea of improving their professional and educational levels that are specific to helping hem attain whichever milestone they are aiming for in their career (Rajagopal et al., 2012). Whereas an organization is commonly motivated to network for the success of their business and the possibility of forming new prosperous partnerships that can launch than forward in society (Rajagopal et al., 2012). In continuation of this deeper reflection on whom is being motivated, another wrench gets thrown into the mix, and that is the idea of an individual who is a member of a company. Let us pretend, for example, that a higher-up executive is attending a business luncheon. The company he works for is an environmental law firm that is just starting to break into the big leagues, and the executive himself is ambitiously hoping to climb the corporate ladder and land himself a partner position by the end of the year. Now, back at the luncheon, the executive notices two equally well known professionals, an executive from a successful out-of-province environmental law firm, and a partner from an equally successful local corporate law firm. The former individual presents the opportunity to partner with a firm that is not in direct competition with the executive’s firm, so he can bestow many fruitful tips and tricks in the discipline of environmental law, whereas the latter individual can provide some invaluable insights into the practice of successfully landing a partner position and can increase the executive’s own social capital. This brings us to the question, who does the executive feel more motivated to strike a conversation with? Ponder on this scenario and leave a comment explaining your rational behind your answer.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

For as many networks, websites, web-pages, blog posts, comments, and likes that there are lingering in the interwebs, there is an equal, if not larger, number of risks and rewards that come attached to online public communications. Based on Boyd’s thoughts in Networked Privacy (2012), one pair of risk and reward that deserves the floor is the toss-up between customizability and anonymity.  It is true that the online world allows its users to individually embark on a personally curated journey down the river of information in pursuit of creating their PLN, allowing the user to command their own learning and flow down whichever side-stream suits their goals and passions, however, they are still just that, a user. The whole notion of being an individual user who curates their own path implies that you are leaving behind a trial of identifiable breadcrumbs, if not made tangible by your legal name, then represented by your unique decisions to click on one link rather than another based on your personal desires. So, although there is complete autonomy over the creation of your PLN, there is no control over how much of an analytical image we create and to what degree that image is kept private. Furthermore, as the internet becomes increasingly complex and beautifully mailable, it also becomes increasingly convoluted and multi-layered in the way it appoints laws and order to the privacy and protection of users (Boyd, 2012). Thus, there is now the risk itself, that is the lack of control of our digital footprint, and there is now a whole new set of risks associated with how to appropriately mitigate and regulate the problem. But, as artisit Billy Joel wisely put this exact predicament into words, “we didn’t start the fire”, so I am certain that we as society will navigate this issue only to dwell on new ones. Such is life.

References

Boyd, D. (2012). Networked privacy. Surveillance and society, 10(3/4), 348-350.

Rajagopal, K., Brinke, D. J., Bruggen, J. V., and 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

What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN). (n.d.). Future Learn. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644