#7 Public PLN

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

There are so many communication benefits that a social media community brings. Like talked about in my other blog posts, social media allows for a diverse community that is inclusive to anyone on the internet. Most importantly, social movements spread across media that engages a public audience. This rises awareness all around the world to voice opinions, and take action. Also, benefits include a diverse background of experience and knowledge that can be shared across social media communities. Media is beneficial to staying relevant and engaged, but also has privacy risks when posting to a public audience.

As a future educator, I am careful of what I post on my current social media platforms. I do this because, “it takes a life time to build a reputation and a heartbeat to break it” (Jody Vance, 2021). In other words, one bad picture or statement can ruin my PLN identity. This is because once an image is posted on the internet, the picture will always be there even if I delete it. I would not be a good role model if my future students can google my name and inappropriate pictures come up. This would ruin my reputation and may make students lose trust from past behaviours. I only share photos that make my PLN look mature and respectable to all audiences.

How to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy?

Since social media is public, there is a wide range of opinions that may contrast with one another. Thus, people leave negative replies and critiques certain values and opinions. The best way to reply to these comments is to find a balanced line between the values of one’s personal opinion (replier),  their company reputation, (If employed) and the view of the opposing opinion. It is important to not ignore one’s own values but also to not offend anyone. Thus, a reply could be short like “Thank you for this feedback/opinion, I will take it into consideration” to not start any arguments or offend anyone.

How do notable individuals use social media?

This current generation has many paid social media influencers. The influencers that I follow are my favourite Bachelor contestants. They attract an audience when falling in love on T.V., gaining viewers trust by showing their true selves. After the show, fan favourite girls gain followers and supporters who look up to them. The influencers then have built trust with their followers and partner with companies to help advertise their products. When the influencer posts about the product, people trust their advise and want to purchase the item. Moreover, the influence keep and gain their followers by posting updates, staying active, and engaging with their followers.

What are the benefits to being in the public eye and having a PLN?

If becoming an influencer, there are many benefits that being in the public eye brings at the cost of privacy. Famous influencers often gain sponsors that pay individuals to post ads plus get free products to try it out. Influencers is a wealthy career to be in, however it is competitive as many people are trying to be influencers. Moreover, influencers voices are heard more and are spread to more people. Influencers can use this to help rise awareness on world issues and encourage people to take action. This allows influencers to always stay relevant and informed.

Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

My experiences with online tools provided by the employer are very limited. I worked at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar, where the mangers did not provide an online community. However, the staff did. We had a “Scott Road Keggers” group, where people can trade shifts, ask about store information, and post relevant work issues. The mangers were restricted in this group, making a safe space for staff to communicate freely. Moreover, every few months, head office requires all staff to fill out an online survey regarding the work environment and management team. This is where people can voice their opinions while staying anonymous make the work setting as best as possible. This tools benefits the company by looking for staff and caring about their opinions.

 Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how to build a PLN to rely on?

In order to build a reliable PLN, it is important to justify and prove opinions and thoughts. This means using resources like new articles, journals, and statements to back up one’s argument. The individual would then show backup information in the information being delivered to society. Moreover, It is important to not ignore other conflicting opinions. If one offends someone, he/she should simply own up to their mistake rather than pretending that it never happened. This will ensure an individual to become a reliable, respected source of opinion and information.

How do those, who are veteran story tellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

Since veteran story tellers did not experience the information first hand, the source can be seem as unreliable. To minimize the risk in sharing misinformation, the best story teller would be someone who experienced life in war. The information would facts based off first hand experiences. However, it is hard to find veterans near by willing to share their story. Another way to minimize the risk of sharing misinformation at more convenient way is well analyzed research. If story tellers did not experience the war, it is important to get background information and do as much research as possible. Support using reliable sources allow for trustworthy information.

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating Social Journalism. doi:10.4324/9781315401263

Miller, J. (2021). EDCI 338- Jody Vance. Youtube.