Community engagement is public communications – what are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?
To begin with this topic, I would like to first explain my idea about what a diverse and inclusive PLN looks like. In my opinion, in terms of membership, a diverse and inclusive PLN is a network where people with different identities are fairly represented. Here, I did not use the word “equally” because just like we have discussed before, sometimes it is not only the right thing to do but also the necessary thing to do to assign more weights to people from disadvantaged groups. It should be a network where people could actively engage in the process of learning and sharing regardless of their identities. In terms of content, a diverse and inclusive PLN should be a network where people could have open discussions about sensitive and critical topics without fixating on preexisting prejudices and biases.
The benefits of such a diverse and inclusive social media sharing are that, first of all, open communication is effective in facilitating learning. Just like Markiel said in the video, “everyone is an expert in their own life experiences” (Miller). Open communication about one’s own experiences serve as valuable source of knowledge, which could in turn be taken in and reflected through other people’s learning. Second, diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing help to expand the scope of the network. For example, social media accounts and online communities that advocate for diversity and inclusion through both their demographic presentation and their contents are more likely to receive positive recognition, which helps to build its popularity.
- How does social media engage in advocacy communications?
In my opinion, social media engage in advocacy communications mainly through two ways: education and raising awareness, and forming allies. The first way is self-explanatory: the innate power of social media to reach people and disseminate information makes it a great platform to educate people and raising awareness about certain issues. Also, as Markiel mentioned in this week’s video, he also used social media to build a network of support, which consist of people who have significant influence in certain areas (Miller). These people are crucial in facilitating information to reach more people, and it may not be possible without the help of social media. The second way is inspired by what Markeil said in the video, disadvantaged people could definitely use hashtags on social media to point out that they’ve had enough with the situation, but rather his approach is to reach people from different sides and go from there (Miller). These words have great implications. Sometimes people don’t realize that in order to effectively advocate for something, not only do we need allies from our own community, we also need people from outside of our community who have resources that could facilitate change. The power of social media to reach people definitely facilitates the process of forming allies with people from all kinds of lives.
- How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?
The effect that social media use has on advocacy communications is double-sided. As mentioned in the book, the authors stated that unlike public communications, advocacy communications often come with a clear, concise purpose, and often try to shape things towards a certain direction (Clark and Aufderheide). However, since public communications are made up of people from all kinds of backgrounds who would bring their own opinions to the table, it is almost impossible to seek such an agreement in public communications. Thus, in that sense, social media use in public discourse almost has a “debunking” effect on advocacy communications, which means that certain interests behind advocacy communications may not be recognized in public communications. On the other hand, since public communications allows active participation and discussion of all kinds of critical issues, it definitely helps in advocating for certain issues . However, the probability that these discussions would go in the direction that certain advocacy groups have planned for is very low (Clark and Aufderheide).
References
Simpson, Markiel. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 02 – 22 MARKIEL SIMPSON.” 21 Feb. 2021. doi: https://youtu.be/yCSpm1Lx8-A
Clark, J., & Aufderheide, P. (2013). A New Vision for Public Media – Open, Dynamic, and Participatory. In J. Pooley, L. Taub-Pervizpour, & S. C. Jansen (Authors), Media and social justice (pp. 55-67). New York: Palgrave.
Hey Heidi,
I quite agree with your views on PLN’s diversity and inclusion. All people, regardless of their status, can actively participate in the learning and sharing process. It is precisely because of the diversity and inclusiveness of PLN that the improvement of the ability of social media to deliver information is constantly changing the way of social work and life. The ability of people to deliver information is further developed, which has some predictable impacts on individuals, organizations and society.
Hi Zimeng,
Thank you for commenting! I totally agree with you on what you said about how social media is constantly changing the way of social work and life, and I would like to add a few points to this argument. In my opinion, social media has changed our way of living by changing the model of media. In the past, media is controlled by people and organizations with massive wealth. The power to generate and disseminate is highly centralized. The emergence of social media changed precisely that because it provides channels where the even the most ordinary people could have the opportunities to voice their opinions and share their knowledge. Basically, social media platforms make it possible that every one within the network is a media outlet by himself/herself. Since information and knowledge is power in itself, this greatly empowers individuals within the society. This has great implications for both our private life and our public life.
Wonderful blog post Heidi 🙂
I commented on a few of the points you addressed. I like how you suggested that a diverse and inclusive PLN means having a network where people could have open discussions about sensitive and critical topics without fixating on pre-existing prejudices and biases.
What does it mean to fixate on pre-existing prejudices and biases? Is it when, for example, that a participant is willing to come into a discussion with an open, empathic and malleable mind [as opposed to fixating on pre-existing prejudices and biases]?
Open communication is effective in facilitating learning – This makes sense as allowing access to where one is coming from can create the transparency needed to make next steps available for yourself and others to support one in.
“… in order to effectively advocate for something, not only do we need allies from our own community, we also need people from outside of our community who have resources that could facilitate change.” Highlighting the strategy of meeting people where they are at rather than criticizing where they are coming from is awesome here.
Pairing two of your points together here, of “However, the probability that these discussions would go in the direction that certain advocacy groups have planned for is very low.” and “Social media that advocate for diversity and inclusion will receive positive recognition, which helps to build its popularity.”
This potentially creates an interesting picture where you may not have the conversation you planned to have but you may achieve popularity in that many voices and listeners will be there for the conversation (if the advocacy is for diversity and inclusion). Considering that bringing forward a topic may lead to many different discussions being had – this seems like it could result in a positive activation of the process of learning, collaboration and coming towards new outcomes and ideas.
Hi Patricia,
Thank you for this well written comment and the time and efforts that you put into it! I greatly appreciate it. The idea of “fixating on pre-existing prejudices and biases” refers to the contents that are presented within the PLN. It is more of an expectation than a description. If the contents presented within the PLN are well-researched, supported by objective evidence, and are not generated from a biased perspective, then we can say that these contents represent diversity and inclusiveness. For example, when people discuss political issues in a PLN, if they could respect other people’s political views, could go beyond their own political stances to really think about the issue, could do thorough research regarding the issue and could reference the sources they used to make their arguments, then we could expect that the contents these people produce would endorse diversity and inclusiveness.
I also really appreciate the statement you made in the last paragraph. That’s precisely what I was thinking about when I was writing this post! So basically the idea is that social media could inspire advocacy, but it may be hard for certain people to manipulate the conversation. It actually makes me think about what Jesse said about Netflix documentaries at the beginning of the semester. Although these documentaries could help to raise awareness about things like environmental issues, they also have other priorities, and for Netflix, their priority is to make money off these documentaries. I believe that although people would agree on raising awareness for environmental issues, they definitely would not be as enthusiastic in making money off those documentaries.