Blog Post #1- Personal Learning Networks and Digital Identity

• • What does it mean to network using social media?

The term networking in basic terms is the way people interact with one another to build relationships or exchange thoughts or information. Each and every person uses networking with preferred people, digital devices, and services whether it is online or offline and this network is used in numerous contexts such as home or at work (What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?). More specifically to network using social media means to interact by posting or messaging with different people using social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, instant messaging apps, and the ever so popular app TikTok. Individuals are able to use these apps to constantly update and communicate with others no matter where they are.

I have many different ways I network using social media. I post pictures to let my friends know what I am doing on Snapchat and Instagram. I also think networking using social media has become extremely important during the COVID-19 pandemic as it was many companies, individuals, bloggers, and influencers’ ways of connecting and keeping in touch with one another (Rajagopal, Brinke, Bruggen, & Sloep 2012).

• • How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Social media is quite the norm and has been for years now. Especially in the past 2 years, it has been even more popular as we were not allowed to see anyone outside of our immediate household for so long so we had no choice but to see what our friends and family were up to via social media sites. My nana even received her very first iPhone over Christmas and we set her up with facetime and Facebook so she could stay connected to her family. I think we are also motivated to participate in networked publics to share our opinions so others are aware but also people can use it to share their side hustles or hobbies like a necklace business or a fitness page.

• • What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

There are both risks and rewards to social networking. The rewards of social networking are the connections people all over the world can make without having to meet in person especially during times like these. Social networking is also a great place for brands and companies to share products whether that is creating their own account to post and chat with potential clients or buyers, or paying social media influencers to promote their product as a brand deal. Many YouTubers I watch do brand deals with numerous companies either on their Instagram, TikTok or in a Youtube video. It is a great way to reach many people fast. I also think that social networking can be beneficial for causes and movements like the Black Lives Matter Movement, Autism Awareness month, or Mental Health Awareness month. It brings awareness to a great number of diverse people all over the world fast.

I think that public communications can also have some risk as there is very little privacy to your online digital identity. You really have to be aware of what you post and if you post something of regret you have to understand it is still technically online even after it is deleted. If you are keeping things public you need to remember anyone and everyone can see it by a name or company search.

• What is a digital identity?

A digital identity is a way in which one presents themselves on social media(Warburton & Hatzipanagos 2013). It is also your footprint and it is like your personal portfolio (Stoller 2016) Digital identities can be connected but not limited to individuals on social media who create visual representations like pictures or videos, telling stories or narratives that are personal (Feher 2019). One’s digital identity does not have to necessarily represent who they truly are in real life; it is how they perceive themselves on their social media accounts.

• How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

Personal digital identities are much different than professional digital identities. Many businesses and individuals have separate social media accounts for their business and for their personal use. Sometimes the way you perceive yourself professionally can look a lot different than what you do let’s say on the weekends so keeping social media accounts separate seems like the route most individuals take.

When I think of having two separate social media accounts I think of the Instagram fitness influencers I follow. A lot of them have one profile that is private that their close friends and family follow and then have their fitness account public where they can engage with people all over the world and do brand deals with other companies. I also think of the girl who does my lashes. She has her personal Instagram and Facebook account where she posts pictures of her with her friends, at the beach, or at a restaurant, and then she has her lash account where she allows her clients to follow and posts promos, availability, pricing, and client pictures of lashes. I also see the separation of a public professional account versus a private personal account with a lot of teachers as well.

• How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

It is important to remember that everything stays on social media or in the “cloud” even if one deletes it. Many people, especially college students to post anything on social media without really giving it any thought (Stoller 2013). Then, when it comes time for a job interview and the company wants to find the potential hire on social media or google and they find pictures that are not seemingly professional they would rather give the position to an individual whose social media and the name is not attached to an inappropriate digital identity. I remember in EDCI 336, we got to google our name to see if anything came up. As a future teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure what I have on social media that can be shown to the public is appropriate as I am a role model.

Overall, it is important for individuals to understand what a digital identity is and to think before posting (Stoller, 2013)

Bibliography

Feher, Katalin. “Digital Identity and the Online Self: Footprint Strategies – An Exploratory and Comparative Research Study.” Journal of Information Science, vol. 47, no. 2, 2019, pp. 192–205., doi:10.1177/0165551519879702.

“Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity?.” YouTube, uploaded by
University of Derby, 25 November 2016, 00:24-00:32, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&ab_channel=UniversityofDerby.”

Rajagopal, Kamakshi, et al. “Understanding Personal Learning Networks: Their Structure, Content and the Networking Skills Needed to Optimally Use Them.” First Monday, vol. 17, no. 1, 2012, doi:10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559.

Stoller, Eric. “Our Shared Future: Social Media, Leadership, Vulnerability, and Digital Identity.” Journal of College and Character, vol. 14, no. 1, 2013, pp. 5–10., doi:10.1515/jcc-2013-0002.

Warburton, Steven, and Stylianos Hatzipanagos. “Digital Identity and Social Media.” Information Science Reference, 2013, doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-1915-9.

“What Is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?” FutureLearn, www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644.