Post #1

PLN’S & DIGITAL IDENTITIES

• What does it mean to network using social media?

By definition, networking is the exchange of ideas and information between people who share a common occupation or special interest, which is a key skill in a career that can help individuals grow and learn (Rajagopal, Brinke, Bruggen, & Sloep 2012). To be more specific, network using social media refers to using Internet-based social media sites to stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues, and even customers. Through sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on, social networking can have a social purpose as well as a business purpose. On social platforms, people can post their latest updates anytime and anywhere, and others can be the first to access these new messages.

• How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Over the past few years, the popularity of social networking sites has been growing rapidly. Personally, I think we are motivated to participate in the networked public because of its convenience, people can use it for many purposes; sharing, learning, interacting and marketing.

Sharing: while people are participating in networked publics, they can share information and ideas in many ways; they can publish their ideas in text, pictures, videos and recordings through different channels. All of these can happen at anytime and anywhere.

Learning: the way we learned has changed, learning is not just something we do in a lecture or a classroom with instructors, but something people do together through the social networks (What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?). As people can update their friends and family, or find out what’s happening in the community and around the world, the immediacy of information flow allows them to get the gist of the latest news almost as soon as it happens.

Interacting: As people participate in networked publics, the “distance” between all of them is reduced. Social media breaks down the traditional barriers of distance and time between people. With video chat technology like Skype or Zoom, people can talk face-to-face from anywhere in the world. With iMessage and some mobile devices, people can chat digitally and communicate by text. Some apps like Instagram or Twitter, even allow people to interact with media, celebrities, and government officials.

Marketing: Increasingly, social media is being used for marketing purposes. When some companies wish to market their products, they participate in networked publics. Just like seeing a friend’s post on Instagram, we usually find some ads sandwiched between them.

• What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

They happened at the same time, and I think that risks happened because of rewards, so I will say rewards first;

Rewards

Achieve more audiences: There are a lot of people using social media platforms. This is a great opportunity for users to reach more audiences who are interested in their products or services.

Build the brand: When you are in contact with a lead of interest, you’re presenting your brand to them. Posting content for free enables you to build brand awareness among your users over and over again. The more people are exposed to your brand, the more familiar they become with it. Brand familiarity leads to more conversions because people tend to buy brands they are familiar with.

Discover valuable insights: Through social media platforms, people can communicate directly with audiences, so they can quickly share and exchange ideas. As people learn from each other, they can further discover valuable insights.

Risks

Receive negative feedback: Social media platforms often offer the ability to send private messages or comments, and as they are seen by more audiences, the likelihood of receiving negative feedbacks is higher.

Loss of privacy: As the functionality of social media software continues to advance, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure the privacy of users. For example, when people post their status, they will tag their address, but if this is seen by someone with ulterior motives, their security will be threatened.

Digital Identity

• What is a digital identity?

A digital identity is essentially any personal data that exists online and can be traced back to a real person. Refer to Eric Stoller, it is a person’s presence online, it’s sort of their footprint on the web (Stoller, 2016).

At the World Economic Forum 2019, the value of digital identity is explained in more detail as an identification, which is not limited to the provision of basic services, but also helps some developing countries to use it as an ID and improve the efficiency of public service delivery.

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

I think they are two separate things, people use personal digital identities to socialize and professional digital identities to find career opportunities and stay connected. Users will be more interested in seeing personal information updates on personal networks and more career and current events based updates on professional networks.

In my opinion, two separate accounts can reduce unnecessary confusion, not only for users but also for followers. For example, I might post some funny photos on my personal Instagram account or joke with my friends on the comment board, but I never post them on my work account because I think it keeps my privacy and leaves a neat and professional page for the followers of my work account.

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

As Eric Stoller said, digital identity is a person’s footprint left on the web, and everything they have done represents their digital identity. People may be able to clear their previous records on their home page, but those records will still remain on the Internet. Also, people might be able to create two accounts, personal and professional, but others will still have the opportunity to find and view their personal accounts, so every message posted should be carefully considered.

It’s hard for everyone to stay in the same state at work or on break, so it’s normal to have different expressions of emotion. However, if you need to attend a job interview at some point in the future, some of what has been posted may have an impact. Prospective employers appreciate attractive employees, and there is no harm in liking or sharing personal items such as family photos, insights, news about your favorite recreational activities, or other personal interests. However, having some extreme opinions or photos may make you look unprofessional. Therefore, digital identity is very important in the networked publics, it brings useful help, but people should also think before posting any piece of information.

References

DeNamur, Loryll. “Digital Identity: Attributes That Make Up a Digital Identity.” Jumio, 12 Nov. 2019, www.jumio.com/what-is-a-digital-identity/.

“Eric Stoller – What Is Digital Identity?” YouTube, 25 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0.

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.

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

World Economic Forum. “Davos 2019 – Press Conference The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society”. YouTube, 5 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw.