In this module I was introduced to social media in a way that I had never experienced before. Some prior knowledge that helped me was my general involvement with social media. I’ve grown up with it as a part of my everyday life. I found this module to be a building block on top of this foundation, exposing to me new perspectives and analyses of platforms I’ve been familiar with for years.
In the beginning, we learnt about the various methods of communicating on social media. We discussed the area of micro-influencers and the power they have. I found this week extremely interesting as I’ve been surrounded by influencers for years, constantly seeing them on my phone. I hadn’t however, acknowledged the real power that these people have on me and the way in which they shape my consumer habits and those of my peers too.
We then discussed the management of information online, and the pros & cons of users being able to create public content online. An interesting case study showing some dangerous effects of user contribution was that done by Guidry, J.PD., Carlyle, K., Messner M. & Jin.Y (2015) on the impact social media had on whether or not children were receiving vaccines. They address the habit of people using the internet to learn about health issues. They noticed, however, that the majority of the discussions on social media were being had by normal citizens who lacked medical training. Their anti-vaccine messages were filled with emotive language as opposed to medical research. Guidry, J.PD., Carlyle, K., Messner M. & Jin.Y (2015) highlights the importance of health professionals being aware of this and suggests that they also participate in these online spaces. I found this piece intriguing as I had never considered that user contribution could result in such significant consequences.
We then looked at how social media can be used to communicate information in creative ways. I enjoyed learning about this aspect as I can see how this knowledge could be incredibly applicable in a future job. Whether for marketing, pitching ideas or communicating with colleagues, this is a crucial field to be aware of. I was grateful for this learning experience as I see the benefit of using this knowledge in my future studies. Part of my degree is Social Justice. In this field there is large importance in making others aware of issues that are occurring. It’s very common for people to not be educated on topics of injustice as they’re often so far removed from the issues resulting in them being unrelatable. Displaying information in creative ways could encourage the public to understand these issues, allowing them to engage with the information and potentially help others.
We then explored the use of video and audio in order to connect and communicate with others. Bongo helped a lot throughout this module. I often struggle with how you don’t get to see the work your fellow students are producing. It leaves me feeling anxious and confused as to whether or not I’m doing a task correctly. I loved listening to what others had learnt, hearing how different people pick up on different aspects of lessons. I found that combining various perspectives of learning resulted in me collecting a wider field of new knowledge; more than I would have retrieved alone. I found receiving and giving feedback to be a valuable element of the software. It allowed me to communicate with students, giving me the opportunity to give them praise but also make suggestions on how to improve. I enjoyed getting feedback because it encouraged me in my work. Some specific comments I got were that my work was “concise and informative,” another saying, “nice and short, a different perspective to others.” This was helpful as it told me I was writing enough and that keeping it short was effective. It also helped me to realise that if I said something different to another peer, I hadn’t got it wrong, I had just seen it in a different way which can in fact be a valuable thing. This last realisation is one I’ll hold with me throughout the rest of my life; understanding that it’s okay to get different answers from those around you.
Next, I learnt about how social media can be used for our learning at university. Ridley, D. gives 3 different ways that social media can be used in universities. Firstly, it can attract potential new students. As people share their experiences online through pictures and videos, a realistic depiction of what the college is like can be created. Secondly, students are able to share their experiences through blogs, hashtags and more, allowing a connection with other students. Thirdly, social media provides a platform for students to receive answers regarding issues they’re having. Ridley, D. gives the example that student services are often available all through the night, equipping them with the tools and support that they need.
One of the areas I found most interesting to learn about was the ethics of social media. Cohn, C. explains etiquette as the “code of behavior within the context of our society.” She discusses how social media is a community where we must learn to navigate our way respectfully. I valued this learning experience as it related to the social justice aspect of my course and is crucial to consider when discussing the place social media platforms have in our lives. This area made me consider potential future challenges. As social media develops, people get more comfortable with sharing deeper, more vulnerable parts of their lives. Considering the ethics of privacy and the exploitation of user data will be a crucial area to be aware of.
We then learnt about the presence of emotional information on social media platforms. Pennington, D. R. (2015) talks about how participatory culture can be used to further develop how we find our desired content. She defines participatory culture as “a range of different groups deploying media production and distribution to serve their collective interests.” Understanding the emotional responses people have to creative content could allow a system where specific emotions could be used as a search filter. I found this to be a unique approach to how social media platform could be developed.
Reaching the end of the module we looked at social media trends. This again fascinated me, in a similar way to the influencer topic. Trends on social media are something I’ve witnessed for years; I’d almost argue they’re part of my culture. For me, reading a piece by Duty on how to foresee, analyse and create trends was amusing. She claims that “You need to be steeped in social activity yourself to really know it in and out before you can spot trends.” Most young people, including myself don’t try to see/ foresee trends in social media, we naturally do as we grew up immersed in this environment. But this allowed me to see the tactics businesses use in order to relate integrate themselves into the culture that is social media.
To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on how social media is relevant to all aspects of our lives. I plan to bring these many lessons along with me throughout the rest of my studies and look forward to seeing what ways social media will develop and integrate itself into our future.
References:
Guidry, J.PD., Carlyle, K., Messner M. & Jin.Y (2015). On pins and needles: How vaccines are portrayed on Pinterest, Vaccine, 33, 5051- 5056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.08.064
Ridley, D. How Today’s Colleges and Universities are Using Social Media (n.d.). Vital, retrieved from https://vtldesign.com/digital-marketing/social-media/how-todays-colleges-and-universities-are-using-social-media/
Cohn, C. (n.d.). Social Media Ethics and Etiquette, Compukol. Retrieved fromhttps://www.compukol.com/social-media-ethics-and-etiquette/
Pennington, D. R. (2016). The most passionate cover I’ve seen”: emotional information in fan-created U2 music videos. Journal of Documentation. Vol. 72 Iss 3 pp. 569 – 590 DOI: 10.1108/JD-07-2015-0086
Duty, L. (n.d.). How to Identify Social Media Trends Before Anyone Else, Rocksdigital. Retreived from: https://www.rocksdigital.com/identify-social-media-trends-everyone-else/
Ciara's blog - 18423936 