4.3 Reflection: Social & Professional Networks

Ah, Facebook. Distraction. 

Facebook offers me two kinds of distraction: the first is the kind that feeds my need for interaction with other adults when my time with adults is limited; the second is the kind of distraction that occasionally keeps me from getting the house cleaned when I really should, or gives me a pleasant excuse to procrastinate a little longer instead of completing a task that needs to get done.

I find that Facebook has a lot to offer me as a human being. In addition to keeping me up-to-date on my extended family and friends' lives, it offers me connections, even with people I seldom see. Sometimes a thoughtful post or comment will allow me to connect briefly with another person, even if we have little in common outside of that interaction. While I sometimes find the discussions on Facebook frustrating, self-indulgent, or otherwise obnoxious, I also frequently find thoughtful, and thought-provoking discussions going on. Sometimes I choose to engage in conversations, and at other times I prefer to read what others have written without engaging myself in the discussion. That's part of the beauty of using social media. It allows me to choose when and whether I will participate in any given discussion; those that will become excessively emotionally draining or are somehow inappropriate are available for me to read, but those that I can contribute to thoughtfully are available for me to participate in for as long as I choose.

In addition to the entertainment value of Facebook, I also often find myself motivated to learn more about a given topic under discussion. When I see a link to an article, I will read it, but I will often go and find additional sources to further extend my understanding of the topic. 

The internet, in general, is a boon to readers and learners. Anything is available if you know how to find it, and all you have to do is open up a browser, search the right terms, or find the right website, and you have everything you could want to learn about a topic at your fingertips. Of course, with all that information available, it is also possible to get lost in data overload, or worse, get off-track while you are researching one topic and get distracted and lose focus on the topic originally being researched.

I suspect that my students would agree with the entertainment and distraction factor, although I think they would find my tendency to enjoy doing further research on a topic ridiculous. If I can capitalize on my students' interest in social media, and maybe use myself as an example, I can use it as a way to expand my students' use of social media to extend their view of their world, where they begin to see themselves as global citizens who can contribute to a larger discussion. Once I convince my students that social media represents an opportunity to become contributors to the world, it is my responsibility to help them start to begin to understand how to find good information, what to do with it, and how to use it to contribute productively to the larger conversation.