Blog Post 1

Blog post 1.

What does it mean to network using social media?

As the term ‘’social networking’’ means, it is about the usage of social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, 1Twitter, etc., for various different purposes such as simple communications between friends, family members, colleagues, and even clients with professionals. As we can see, networking using social media can have both personal and professional purpose. It is a way to link between people, an intersection of purposes and interests which form a network which is what allows these interactions and ties to be created in the social media.

How do people learn & engage using mediated platforms?

Using these various mediated platforms, it is crucial to respect the network. Since it is mostly based on connections, the person looking for learning on these platforms must ensure that these ties and interactions are first of all built with the right partner. As a simple and transparent example, if a person is looking to learn how to use Photoshop, they must first contact or add a professional or someone knowledgeable in it. Secondly, these connections must be maintained and upheld to ensure they are available whenever they are needed. Thirdly and finally, these connections must be triggered and initiated to activate the learning process desired. In all sorts of l

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

Networked publics are the sort of publics that are more designed and arranged following the structure of networks. People use them for multiple reasons that could change depending on the time, their age, their interests, etc., and they could also be used for multiple purposes all at once, since there are numerous ones. As we can see, it is just the ‘’normal’’ public in real life. We are motivated to participate in them because they allow us to go farther than we can in real life publics, meaning it stretches beyond the restricted circle that we live in, which allows for more chances and opportunities, more people to engage with, different cultures to learn and experience, etc. The motivation, then, lies in the accessibility and affordances of Networked publics.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

Public communications have always been a great tool for us. From simple communication, to even learning and professions. In difficult times such as the current ones due to the coronavirus, they have proved to be highly efficient and useful in school matters, in approaching people who live far and cannot come to visit due to confinement, and many other areas of life. Public communications have also allowed people to learn new things, new languages, new skills, etc. However, there is this risk of privacy that cannot be ignored. In such a networked society, it is nearly impossible to obtain privacy and guard it since data is constantly circulating from one place to another. Information about what we like, what we do, what we feel, is used by machines and people to manipulate other people and control them into buying certain products, reading specific articles, etc., which all shapes them into categories.