EDCI 338 Blog Post 1

Networking using social media means that you are an actor in a digital world. There have been many times where I have come across posts from my friends, family, and co-workers on Facebook or Twitter and it made me think: if I didn’t know them personally this post would make me think something very different about them than what I know.

It can be a very misleading experience. The digital activity of anyone is related to them, and yet not. An online persona is only as fleshed out as you are willing to let it be. This seems to be true not only in a social sense but also in a professional sense. There may be other information about you out there that is not under your control, and it may conflict with what you have curated for yourself.

And yet it is also very liberating. A digital persona is a means to, in essence, live another life. In today’s COVID-19-laden world, it is one of our safest connections to each other. We can put our best foot forward to prospective employers. We can empathize with like-minded comrades. We can shop, dream, and work online. These are some of the many powerful incentives to participate.

That participation can be fraught, however. A good example is my mother. She is not digitally savvy despite having an Iphone, a laptop, and a good mind. I worry that she may click a bad link in an email or say something on Facebook which will embarrass her to who knows what extent. She is just the kind of person that unsavory people take advantage of.

It requires time and effort to begin navigating cyberspace successfully. There are pitfalls and villains. There are also many conveniences, hidden gems, and lifelines. It’s a lot to process.