Networked Individualism
Now finally closing in on the last 6 months before I graduate with a M.S. in Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies from Florida State University, I am lucky enough to grab a class in Web 2.0 Based Learning and Performance.
Although I've been a steady player among the major networking tools, galloping through some and grazing through others, I have not given much thought about the operational structure of social media. In the first chapter of "Networked - The New Social Operating System" by Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman, they coin "networked individualism" as the operating system of social media because of its opportunities to communicate and exchange information. Thinking about that, I was struck with the dichotomy of the entire concept. A century ago, a person's network was defined by the folks one could visit in a day before heading home. Now, one's network is only limited by one's unlimited imagination.
And the number of devices one owns, or uses, does not amplify a person's connectivity or reach. It is who a message is sent to, or who sends the message, and the value of the content that matters. Stranded hikers can marshal a horde of rescuers with a lone text just before the 3 bars on their phone disappears. And a single mention by a networked influencer on Twitter and Instagram about a small vendor's unique product or service can both temporarily crash the vendor's website with new orders, and then quickly launch them into unbridled success.
Another ironic dichotomy is that while social media liberates people to connect with many other folks, and create new friends or alliances, it also takes focused effort to maintain these relationships. In the webpost "How Social Media Can Help Sustain Your Friendships" by Alexandra Samuel, she suggests to create online groups for family members and close friends to make connecting and sharing information easier. But also, if someone takes a break from social media, and you don't hear from them for a bit, that's OK. But after a while, if you send a tweet, or IM, they may wholeheartedly respond, being thankful for the needed break, but happy to reconnect instantly through social media.
I spent some time this week researching how other people define social media in the academic world and some research papers that graduate students wrote on social media and the (majority negative) effects on society. It was interesting to spend time reading through that research, then reading Networked which strongly conveys that social media and our online networks are providing a wealth of benefits that we do not often consider or discuss. Thank you for sharing the article too! I actually wrote my final blog post this week about this concept, how we tend to perceive these negative aspects of social media but I am incredibly interested in doing a survey in a few months about our perception of social media and its effects on society after this pandemic. We have relied so much on social media to stay connected during this time I am curious if more people would more willingly accept some of the things that Networked discusses regarding "networked individualism" and how social media networks have actually brought us closer together!
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