Public PLN – Balancing PLN, Media Literacy, & Public Discourse
The use of social media by notable individuals is diverse and may not take a definite trend. While some notable individuals use social media to connect with their fans by sharing photos, thoughts, and updates about their lives, others use social media to share their work, such as articles, videos, and music. Some use social media to raise awareness for causes they care about, such as social justice or the environment. Others use social media to stay up-to-date on current events. Being in the public eye and having a PLN can be beneficial because it allows one to connect with more people (Miller, 2022). Having a PLN can also help one build a support and advice network.
Different employers across many sectors increasingly provide tools for building online communities. However, the scope of reach and engagement can be very limiting. Some perceived restrictions of building a community with online tools provided by the employer are that you may not be able to reach as many people, and the community may not be as diverse. While you connect with colleagues, the community may not enjoy other viewpoints from individuals with perspectives different from what is considered normal in a given organization.
A PLN can be built by finding and connecting with people with similar interests and by following and interacting with experts in a given field (Miller, 2021). This way, one gets information about particular subjects from those with expertise and technical know-how. One can also join online communities and forums and participate in online courses and webinars. This increases interaction with the right audience while exposing one to the kind of individuals from diverse fields and backgrounds.
Veteran storytellers can minimize the risk of sharing misinformation by only sharing information they know to be true and verifying information before sharing it. They can also provide sources for their information so that others can check it themselves. However, other aspects of media literacy are also important in the use of social media. Media literacy is the ability to analyze and evaluate media messages critically. It is important because it allows people to deconstruct messages and understand the hidden agendas and agendas of the media. It is often dismissed because it is seen as “political correctness” or an attack on free speech.
When constructing your professional learning network, you should aim for a variety of views in order to get a well-rounded understanding of the topic at hand (Miller, 2021). However, you should also ensure that the information you are getting is factual and based on consensus. This will help you ensure that you are getting accurate information and not just a bunch of opinions.
References
MILLER. (2022, June 6). Sophie Lui—EDCI 338. Social Media and News Hour Journalism – Course Youtube Channel – Sophie Lui https://youtu.be/wfcXgKLzOVM
MILLER. (2021, June 6). EDCI 338—MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH. Media Literacy – Facts Matter – Course YouTube Channel Digital Literacy Skills – https://youtu.be/57r3-aEnci0
taniatari
June 14, 2022 — 2:00 pm
Hi,
What a great post, social media is and can be used with full diversity. I definitely agree when wanting to construct your PLN it is really important to make sure what you are posting and advocating is supported with facts and if you are posting your opinion then it has to be transparent and open to others giving their input without attacking one another. Thanks again for sharing!
ariehl
June 14, 2022 — 2:16 pm
Hi there!
What a powerful statement you used when you said media literacy “is often dismissed because it is seen as ‘political correctness’ or an attack on free speech.” You are so right. Especially since the break of COVID-19, people have the tendency to feel attacked by everything said online because it does not align with their beliefs. It is a crazy world we live in where people are engulfed in politics, right vs. wrong, and have forgotten what kindness and respect look like.
As you said in your last paragraph, it is important to include a variety of views in order to get a well-rounded understanding of the topic at hand. Ensuring we do this will hopefully help people to have a more open mind and be more understanding and accepting of others!