Post #4

Public PLN – Balancing PLN, Media Literacy, & Public Discourse

• Consider how you would curate your social media with a critical public audience.

If I had a critical public audience on social media, I would engage in media literacy and be very careful about posting anything. As Jody Vance says in the video “social media complicate things and yet at the same time exposes your strengths as well.” Before posting, it is necessary to think carefully about the content of the posting; What is the information that needs to be conveyed in this post? What is the purpose of the post? What will be the possible repercussions? Social media provides a platform to express oneself, but it also requires great caution. Because social media is a source of information in the eyes of the public, especially for public figures, what they say and do on social media platforms is particularly important, and what they post will be discussed, learned, or emulated by readers.

Furthermore, if I had a critical public audience, I would choose a neutral topic and think over the purpose of the post before doing so, because when remaining neutral, I can avoid having extreme opinion disputes in the comments and be more inclusive of ideas.

• Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

I’ll start with the benefits. Social media is the fastest way to get a point across to hundreds of millions of people around the world. When public figures have a base of followers, the information they post is read and spread very quickly by readers. So if they want to achieve a goal through social media, it’s a very quick and effective way to do it. Just like Julie Smith mentions in the video in past elections, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have also used their social media presence to get people to vote for them.

However, the benefits often come with risks. As Jody says, “Social media complicates things.” Because of the rapid and widespread development of information on social media, public figures who post misinformation can have a huge impact on their careers. Personally, I think the risk of posting false information can be reduced by also posting sources that are transparent and truthful.

• Consider how to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy?

No matter what, people are likely to receive negative comments. One cannot please or be liked by everyone, whether in reality or online. Jody mentions in the video that when she became a sports broadcaster, not everyone wanted sports news from female broadcasters and there were some career obstacles because of being female. Also, she suggests that while you can build your brand on platforms like LinkedIn and Zoom, it still doesn’t compare to connecting with people face-to-face. I think usually because it’s often easier to post negative comments on social media than it is to leave negative comments face-to-face.

When these online comments become less costly, I think it is possible to try to put a neutral attitude to respond to negative replies, because those users who post negative comments often do not see the full picture. At the same time, we can reflect on whether there is a problem with the content posted so that we can modify it to avoid the same problem next time.

• Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?

In the book 21^st Century Skills, media literacy provides “a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms, build an understanding of the role of media in society, as well as [develop] the essential skills of inquiry and self-expression.” It is the ability to recognize different types of media and the messages they send. Therefore, readers or viewers need to look at the media objectively with the aim of identifying or analyzing what is being presented. However, factual information is information that relates only to facts, which is brief, non-explanatory, and rarely gives in-depth background on a topic.

They are both different and have diverse purposes, and media literacy can use some effects to change the content of the message in order to attract the reader’s attention. Nevertheless, factual information promotes truthfulness and cannot change the authenticity of any content.

• What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

Having a PLN that values media literacy is very beneficial; users are able to use media literacy to better ask questions and understand what is false and what is not. It allows for more proper analysis of information and understanding of the overall concept of sharing information online. Users are better able to develop their PLNs when they have the ability to constantly question critically all media.

References:

Bernie, T & Charles, F. (2009), 21st Century Skills – Learning for Life In Our Times, Jossey-Bass, https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/21st-century-skills/9780470475386/fade_9780470475386_oeb_c04_r1.html

Smith, J. (2021). “EDCI 338 – MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0&ab_channel=MILLER

Vance, J. (2021). “Jody Vance – Media Voices.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-NnpQJdl0A&ab_channel=MILLER

Understanding Information and Information Sources: Information Sources. (2020), https://libguides.astate.edu/information/sources