Thing 12 - Putting the social into social media
ProsI don't have any novel thoughts on advantages beyond the obvious, and what's been stated here by others. Personally, I have friends and family spread out all across the country, so I was in love with My Space when it first came out. Then we all migrated over to Facebook and that has been much better for keeping in touch with people. It's certainly not perfect, but it's a lot better than anything else out there for the time being.
Cons
I do think there are disadvantages. Beyond the privacy concerns that many have, updating social networks is simply "one more thing" that many of us feel we have to do. Even for those of us who see the merits and benefits and consciously choose to participate in the social media world, it takes time to build an online presence, to keep your pages updated, to upload photos, etc. There was a study done that said, "Facebook users with more friends suffer more stress and "neurotic limbo" from feeling they have to continually update and amuse their larger audiences." (See article.) Although this study is far from conclusive, it does point to something that I think is very true. People now are essentially becoming their own marketing and publicity agents, trying to control the impression others have of them in a 24/7 online world. I think it's a job, that for people like me, takes a lot of time and effort. For someone who already has a busy, fulfilling life, adding something to your plate requires taking something else off.
Social Media for Professional Development
CPD23 has helped encourage me to use the same social media tools that I already use personally in a way more connected with my profession. What's been holding me back from doing this before is simply the "time and effort" concern that I mentioned previously. It's not that I don't see value in it, it's a matter of finding a way to make it fit into the other responsibilities that I already have as a professional. I will keep using these tools after CPD23 is over. What I've been working on is a new schedule/habit/pattern to incorporate these tools into my regular workday.
Social Media and a Sense of Community
I do think that social networking can foster a sense of community to a limited degree. For example, someone recently set up a Facebook group for alumni of my college. I went to a
very small liberal arts college, so there aren't that many of us out there. The Facebook group has been a fun way to share memories with people I may or may not actually know in person but with whom I share a common experience. However, while I was posting to this group and commenting on the posts of others, I was also on the phone talking to one of my closest college friends. So, for me, the sense of community created online wasn't enough on its own.
I got started on Facebook only a year ago. I don't have all that many Friends and most of them are extended family and a few personal friends. I did discover that everybody I know or have ever known is on FB. I find it gives a sense of family and a way of keeping up with the ones we rarely if ever see...some cousins, their kids and grandchildren. They don't post every detail of their lives but do post pictures occasionally or announce births or other momentous events. I don't play the games so I don't have a goal of having thousands of "friends" like some people I know. It has gotten a little frustrating too, because people are getting so paranoid about privacy that they don't share anything with anyone they haven't specifically friended. I kind of like the friend of a friend method, myself.
ReplyDelete