Thread Discussion

After taking the Privacy and Surveillance quiz, I realized that I am decently careful with my privacy and security. I only share online with intention and am conscious about what I interact with, as I know that it can have negative or positive impacts on me depending on who is consuming or viewing what I post online. I do think that being overly worried about the risks of interacting with social media can lead to you having a very narrow PLN or not having one at all. Personally my PLN is not that diverse, I tend to use the same sources of media and quite regularly and interact with the same pages, I would like to expand this as i think it could only be beneficial to me. By expanding my PLN I would only diversify the voices and ideas I interact with and broaden my understanding of the views of other people.

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Before starting this class my PLN was mostly about consuming content for entertainment. Now that I’m gaining a better understanding of the ways I can expand my PLN I am becoming more intentional with my engagement and focusing more on learning rather than just consuming for entertainment. I’m looking at social media more like a tool rather than just a way to fill up my time. I am realizing that a PLN without diverse voices can leave me stranded in an echo chamber of the same ideas and beliefs, without allowing myself to expand my own beliefs and identity.

Social media is the main infrastructure of a PLN and it show you find follow and engage with other learners and professionals, and its fascinating how using social media can allow you to learn from anyone not just experts in a single field. You may have the same ideas or be really interested in a very niche subject with someone who is across the world and be able to connect and dive deeper into these thoughts or research by connecting over social media.

Algorithms are a tricky thing, they seem to shrink your PLN by only showing you more of what you’re already interested in or already agree with. They show you what you unconsciously want to be shown and want to interact with and this can keep you from expanding your personal views or hearing and understanding the ideas of others. The algorithms can trap you within a small circle of the same repetitive voices over and over again and I tend to find myself in these spots, I would like to try and shy away from the algorithms a bit more in order to expand my PLN.

The biggest benefits of having a diverse PLN is that you learn faster when your network challenges your assumptions, if you’re always around exactly like minded people you may never need to prove your point if everyone agrees with you. I also think that a PLN that is rooted in inclusion can create ripple effects as your learning will impact how you show up in your workplace, everyday life, and community.

Resources
https://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/quizzes/privacy-and-surveillance/
https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/7802/6515
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/reader.action?docID=4832579&ppg=11
Media & Social Justice – CHAPTER 4
Course YouTube Channel