Month: September 2020

Today, technologies are getting more tied with people which have huge impacts on people’s lifestyles in many ways. People could have more than one identity now based on what they want to show others in real life or online. Digital Identity is what people present themselves on the internet. It includes what contents and information people share to the public and who they represent while interacting with others on the internet. For example, my digital identity could be my Tweets, Instagram posts, WeChat stories where I leave my footprints on the internet.

Usually, there are different purposes for personal and professional use of social media. In general, professional use of social media creates a good image also advertises an individual, company, or organization. Whereas personal social media is to share the mood, hobbies, and other daily activities to the group of people whom the publisher wants to be seen.

In many cases, personal and professional accounts are related. For  example, many people set up two accounts including a personal, and the other one is professional. For the personal account, people share the daily activities, whereas the professional account covers most of positive and healthy images of the individual or company. individuals should be careful when they express their real feelings on the professional account, which could result in a negative impact on the professional image.

Hello my friends,

This is Oliver, I am a 4th year Econ student in Uvic. Time has been going by fast towards my last year in Uvic now. I am happy and excited to take this course and make friends with everybody here.

I love playing playing basketball. I always play with Vince who is also in this course as well. We used to play at Carsa. However, because of Covid-19, the basketball court is temporally closed. We found another outdoor place named Rainbow Park where is at the intersection of Mckenzie and Blanshard street. (btw, my header photo was at Rainbow park and it was taken by Vince)

Moreover, I also enjoy playing playing guitar as well even I am not an expert at it. Still, guitar brings my life lots of joy and happiness. I will keep practicing and hopefully I will be to make some progress.

Lastly, I hope everyone will enjoy this course and have a great semester together!

Networking using social media means that people can interact and share contents with the public online through digital devices.  Computers have been playing essential roles which lead the society to move forward at a faster pace since they were first invented last century.  Social media creates much convenience for people when networking since it enables people to interact and respond more quickly, effectively, and synchronously. Social media has changed the way of learning, interacting, communicating and many other aspects of our life.   .

There are a variety of platforms that enable people to learn and engage online. Such as email, text, and video chat etc. Usually, the first step is to  set up their own PLN. Then people can add more contacts whom they want to share contents and engage with to the platform. Moreover,  it is significantly necessary to interact with the contacts often in order to maintain strong and tied relationships. Furthermore, people can learn and participate using mediated platforms more efficiently with a lower cost since there are more resources on the internet.

It is natural and essential for people to participate in networked publics. Effective communications and connections can help people build a healthy, positive, and professional relationship with each other. In addition, Participating in networked publics could also help learners develop themselves with the essential skills they need; and also receive required knowledge from professionals and experts in order to succeed in their career. Moreover, people regularly interact with others whom also share similar interests and views in life. It is comfortable for people to spend time interacting together who all trust and share common visions with each other. Furthermore, people are able to share their thoughts and feelings to the network publics to release the pressure and make themselves relieved.

It is undeniable that there are various of merits of public communications. First, public communications create convenience and allow learners to access the essential information at a low cost. People no longer need to spend extra to acquire exclusive information. Moreover, with the development of our society, public communications enable people to obtain the necessary practical skills which could benefit people in many aspects in life. On the other hand, there are also some risks that are associated with public communications. For example, cyber violence has been playing a huge role in suicide. From the past, we see many celebrities and public figures attempted or committed suicides from the internet violence.  In addition, many people suffer tragic  losses from network fraud. It could result in unfavourable consequences to the victims whom were attempted fraud activities on. Last but not least, It is sometimes also a waste of time to participate in non-useful public communications. In conclusion, public communications could both benefit and hurt people, we should be extra careful in order to prevent the losses and maximize the potential of public communications.

References

https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644

https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked