Personally, I wouldn’t consider my existing PLN to be very diverse, which is something I am really wanting to change. Quite honestly, I follow and interact with profiles or topics that often align with my own views rather than challenge them. On Instagram, I mainly follow friends and family and don’t tend to interact with many ‘influencers’ or larger topics. While I often see many different posts and threads on Facebook and Instagram, I don’t necessarily follow along with these accounts or personally interact with them. There are several groups on Facebook that I am in that are inclusive to a number of different people and have allowed me to see different stories and ideas, however I definitely think there is room for more diversity in my PLN which is something I really want to push myself to develop.
Listening to the podcast with Shelley Moore really opened my eyes to the idea of community and just how much you really learn and even teach to those around you. The development of social media has allowed us to create even more connections, sometimes even more abundant than those within our immediate communities and vicinities. Although COVID-19 was a very difficult time for many, I think there are many positives that have come from the days of isolation and quarantine, including further development of social media and the growth of remote and inclusive online learning. Moore’s advice about treating your personal path as if you are always evolving and developing really resonated with me, as there are times when I struggle to see that life won’t always be as it is now and things will always be changing. There is always somebody that you can learn from, and being able to recognize this and allow yourself to be educated is really a skill that I am learning to further develop.
Markiel Simpson’s podcast further showed me how I can grow my alliances and participate within my community. I think I am definitely more of a private person and it is difficult for me to put myself out there and present my own views, especially in a day and age where there are a lot of loud opinions. I recognize that being a white middle class individual I have a significant amount of privilege; I really need to further push myself to be an active advocate and use this privilege for the good. Social media is a great way to do this through communication and interaction.
References
Miller, J. [MILLER]. (2021, May 30). EDCI 338 – 20 Minutes Moore [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA
Miller, J. [MILLER]. (2021, June 1). EDCI 338 – Markiel Simpson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs
