Wow!! I really enjoyed the video and it gave me a new perspective on the media world. I am not one that is super involved in social networking through all types of sites, but I am on facebook, and used to be on livejournal back in high school. I really think that these social networking tools are great to connect to people all over the world. It is also a great place to vent and get your feelings out. Sometimes it is easier to write things out or video tape yourself rather than sitting down with someone and making them listen to you. I think that for these people that are using youtube as a way to get their feelings out there, they like the privacy and not having someone staring back at them ready to hand out advice, but they do want their story heard. Some people feel more comfortable having people outside of the situation listen to what they have to say because they aren't looking for a solution but rather an open ear.
The examples that Wesch used were incredibly important to inform people on what is so relevant in our lives today. Even if you do not partake in this it is something that needs to be known because it is becoming more and more prominent in our society. I also think that the role of "self" in social networking is being able to truly be yourself without having people looking and judging you. You are able to choose what you do and how you act. There is the fear of the whole world being able to see this "self", but maybe that is the thrill of it. You can talk about what you really want and be who you want to be and not know who is actually listening.
I think using social networking in education will excite students a great deal. They will be able to be creative and connect with people all over the world. There is always the danger with what information should and should not be seen or shared. But other than that this technology doesn't seem like it is going anywhere so we should embrace it and use it to educate our students. Either way they are going to learn about these social networking tools and maybe not use them correctly it is our job to monitor and teach them.
Do you think this tool will slowly die out? Or do you think that it will continue to be a huge part of our lives? Should there be specific classes to educate students on these social networking tools and how to properly use them?
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I like what you said about just wanting an open ear; no advice, no judgment, just unadulterated venting/emotional unloading.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think this will die out. My fear is the possibility of it having the opposite effect of making people less social face to face, but I am not entirely convinced of that.
As far as specific classes, I think maybe the best thing would to have this topic incorporated into computer classes, as well as discussed when used in other classes to get a sense of students awareness and how we might better it.
More often than not in life, people just want someone to listen. The internet has created a new vector for this to be accomplished. I believe it has given people a new outlet for being seen, heard, and understood. People like to use the internet because they feel they are making a difference, and that they stand out in the sea of many. People sometimes just want to be heard, and by doing something as simple as uploading a video on Youtube they feel this is successful. Even if just one person looks at the video or comments, that's still one more person. For this reason alone the tool will not die out, but only become more prolific over the next couple of years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Josh and Alexis...I doubt this type of tool will die out anytime soon. Its still relatively novel to many people, and they are just discovering the means in which it can benefit them!
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