What does it mean to network using social media?

Individuals along with society itself has increasingly become connected through smartphones and wifi and therefore, individuals are able to access worldwide information through this media. Networking through social media means that we are learning together with others to share similar thoughts,  personal interest, backgrounds, real-time connections or even job-related activities. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our personal learning network through social media has grown substantially as individuals are not able to communicate face-to-face, social media and online learning has became the alternative. Individuals are using social networking as a way to make new friends, meet new colleagues, meet new partners, find new knowledge, etc. 

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics? 

According to the article “Understanding personal learning networks: The structure, content, and networking skills needed to optimally use them”,  the structure of a personal network can change in ways best benefiting the needs of professional learners throughout different stages of their careers. When professionals have developed an attitude of approaching their professional life and learning in a networked way, they build, maintain and activate their contacts intentionally.  A professional who intentionally builds, maintains and activates her strong, weak and very weak ties with contacts within her personal network for the purpose of improving her learning, while using technology to support this activity is motivated to create a personal learning network. 

 What are the risks & rewards of public communications? 

Although public communications have rewarded us with faster and more efficient way of communicating, one of the risks associated with public communications is “privacy” because boundaries are not well defined, and consent is hard to apply. Through networking, individuals are connected through one another; that means that our data and social identity is easily accessible. In a networked world, data is more persistent, replicable, searchable, and scalable than ever before so therefore we cannot rely on control to achieve privacy. The article states that “even if teenagers’ efforts to achieve social privacy keep their parents in the dark, they don’t stop algorithmic interpretation and misinterpretation of their interactions”. Individuals are still subject to personalization from what they post based on the interpretations of others which may not reflect accurately upon the individual’s personal identity.Â