A reflection

I try to remain objective without being too political in educational outlets. This incoherent sting of consciousness is political in tone, but I am not sorry.

Say his name.

This morning I cried. For context, I do not give into my emotions very often. I am what some people consider an empath, someone that feels the emotions of others so strongly and deeply that they feel like my own emotions -- if you believe in that sort of thing. All I know is that I tend to cut myself off from feeling because when I feel it, I feel all of it. It can be debilitating.

This morning, I was overwhelmed.

I felt the helplessness of those isolated. I felt the mourning of those that have lost. I felt the fear of those that are now financially insecure.

I felt the anger of the oppressed.

Black Lives Matter

Social media is a wonderful tool. I so appreciated reading studies this week that highlighted how the youth is allowing social media to positively shape their future. I've enjoyed using the community assignment as an escape from the realities of our world as I focus on a happy and insignificant topic like Disney.

I have, however, struggled to put myself in a place where this feels important. When our nation is feeling so much hurt, when there are people not given the same advantages of this escapism simply because of something like race, how do I justify inaction at any moment?

I can say I am proud for not pushing aside blatant, systematic racism when I have encountered it in the past. I've cried in the office of leaders questioning the morals of others that champion the empowerment of women, just not those women. 

I am thankful for social media and the voice it provides to the communities that demand change. I am thankful that certain platforms are taking it upon themselves to remind users that glorification of violence and spreading of misinformation by those in power is dangerous. And yes, freedom of speech is important, but its powers are not absolute.

Will this be the time? We have seen video evidence of lives degraded and taken away too many times. Yet, this never seems to be enough to spark outrage that is long lasting. There doesn't appear to be real repercussions for the accusers. The system remains in tact. Will this time be different?

Please.

This week I thought a lot about authenticity and the online persona in relation to context collapse. I think I am still marinating on those thoughts as I see those in my circle posting inspirational quotes or say they are demanding action. I've also seen keyboard warriors that completely miss the point. Are these people afraid of people thinking they are white supremacists if they don't outwardly proclaim the opposite? Is this their authentic self? Will their internet activism have impact beyond a like on their post?

Digital Natives, Revisited

A huge shout out to Omer for pointing me to the video series by David White. I admittedly skimmed the week two article on "Visitors and Residents" far too lightly. I resonate so strongly with his view on the Digital Native/Immigrant debate. If you haven't already, please watch the following video.

Just like a language, technology is something that is more easily learned when immersed from a young age. Those that did not grow up immersed in technology can learn to be more tech savvy, but just like learning a second language later in life, it will not be innate in the same way your first language is.

As I have mentioned previously, I do not believe age is the deciding factor in someone's comfort around technology. Socioeconomic, cultural bars, and other factors that may keep the youth disconnected which could result in discomfort later on if leveraging technological tools.

White's model of Visitors and Residents is based upon engagement and willingness to engage online. On his sliding scale, someone operating in a visitor capacity may be using the web as a tool to look up hours for a coffee shop. Those operating on the resident end of the spectrum live a portion of their life online and leave a lasting mark by engaging and contributing to their online community.

Again, the ideas behind White's framework hinging on the intent of the user is something that connects with me on the concept of the Digital Native debate.

He goes on to expand the linear framework into a coordinate system with an x-axis - on top, personal use and professional/institutional on bottom. This graph is expanded on in a second video which addresses credibility of material online and "black market" learning. Basically, White explains, students are residents in the personal dealings online and institutions have set up for students to only utilize the web in a visitor capacity.

Visitor and Resident Framework

The work that we are doing in EME6414 is unlike that of any class I have taken before. It makes sense that we operate online in this way because of our subject matter. There is so much potential for more courses covering an array of topics to function in a way that encourages students to engage with web 2.0 tools online with the intent of being a resident. Along with learning content, students cold also hone skills in netiquette and how to use social media in a way they may be unfamiliar with.

What are your opinions on the Visitors and Residents framework versus Digital Natives and Immigrants?  For those that speak multiple languages, what are your opinions on the comparison of technology to language? How could you engage learners within the resident and institutional quadrants within your work? Is there merit in engaging learners in this way?

Do all of these social media accounts spark joy?

In reading Context Collapse and Student Social Media Networks: Where Life and High School Collide (Dennen et al, 2017), I felt myself catapulted back to life as a collegiate sorority member listening to lectures about how we were not allowed to block the Vice President of Standards on on social media accounts and "finstas" (fake Instagram accounts) were against the social media policy.

"I want it to rain so I can wear my rain boots"

While I never had a finsta where I posted unflattering photos of myself or those within my circle, I now have three Instagram accounts in my late twenties. There is (1) my original private Instagram account where I follow all the various friends and acquaintances I've acquired over time, (2) my Instagram account where I follow influencers and content creators in my various interests, and (3) an account I have created for this class as a public profile.

Sometimes, scrolling my original Instagram account would leave me in a funk as I found myself comparing where I was in my own journey to others my age. In my post-partum depression, I found myself as a single mom unable to connect to the majority of my circle that were single without kids, married in newlywed bliss, or twice my age happily spending their days in suburbia. It was in this down that I found a community online and built my interests in eco-minimalism, motherhood, mindful living and plant-based lifestyles and created a second Instagram account.

Matt D'Avella redefines what success is for him

Two pairs of jeans, two Instagram accounts.

Enter this class. While not embarrassed by the amount of my time in Tallahassee that I spent in Ken's, I felt that it was probably more professional to keep that content within the confines of my private account. I also did not want to bombard those not in the field with coursework not applicable to their lives.

A break down of my social media accounts and followers

Two pairs of jeans, three Instagram accounts (and two Twitter accounts, a LinkedIn profile, YouTube account, and Pinterest.)

So why divide my accounts?

I don't believe it is out of fear of context collapse in all cases. I would say the Twitter and Instagram accounts created for this class would be to avoid any negative fallout that could arise from being too open with personal history as well as separate my "class life" from my friends. The accounts I have created with the intent of following my interests is more of a compartmentalization of habits.

This brings to mind authenticity online. Is one of my online personalities more authentic than the other? Does compartmentalizing aspects of ourselves online in fear of context collapse hide our true selves? Is it all a curated performance? Do we tailor ourselves in person as much as we do online?

(Former) Teen and Social Media

It was such a refreshing change of pace to read something that outlined not only a positive side to social media but the youth as well. (Reader, you should know that I just took a long beat to absorb throwing around "the youth" unironically and I have never felt older.)

Me, apparently

In Teens and Social Media: A Case Study of High School Students’ Informal Learning Practices and Trajectories (2018) Bagdy et al outline the daily use of social media for five high school students. I have to admit that I have been in awe of the pressures placed on high school students today and continue to be amazed at how calculated so many appear to be today. The study highlights how a majority of the students utilize social media to advance their understanding of potential career fields, earn a living from a side hustle, and hone skills beyond the classroom walls.

Before I made the aforementioned reference to "youth" unironically, I truly didn't feel like high school was that long ago. Reflecting on how I spent my time online a decade ago, however, was no where near as productive. Social media wasn't as all-encompassing as it is today, but it was there.

 What I look like with the song Kesha song "Tik Tok" stuck in my head after hearing people talk about the app

Something this article doesn't address is the pressure on this age group. When I was a sophomore, I had no idea what I wanted out of life. I thought that making an impact on students as a teacher may feel rewarding, but I remember even then at 15 asking my counselor if that was what I really wanted, or if it was just a job where I understood its purpose and function. Some classmates knew what they wanted to do, or at least a field they wanted to study, but a majority had no clue.

Does the interconnected nature of all of our lives paired with wunderkinds of social justice like Greta Thunberg place even more pressure on kids today? It has been widely discussed how college admissions are having earlier and earlier effects on students, but I had always chalked that up to parent pressure. Are students like Kylie pressured by parents to decide what specialization they want to pursue before they can drive, or are students like Kylie truly just leveraging the tools at their feet to pursue interests? Are students today able to pursue more of their interests from the comfort and security of their own homes via digital means, or are they pressured into deciding what is acceptable for them to pursue?

A Hoosier in Florida

Marc Prenskey established that the Digital Natives were those in K-12 in 2001. As previously stated, that qualifies me sitting in a suburban Indianapolis classroom in elementary school in 2001 as a Digital Native. In reading through his work, I tried to reflect back upon my own time as a student and, apparently, an early Digital Native being taught by Digital Immigrants.

Circle City

As an aside, the issue I have with glossy and headline grabbing nomenclature like these terms is that they do not encompass everyone's experiences. I believe that chunking people up in this way can be a bit unfair to those that were the earliest adopters of technology. Think about it in this way -- for there to be a generation of Digital Natives, that means that Digital Immigrants had to create this technology for the new generation to grow up on. Casting those that are over an age bracket in this light can diminish the messaging. I believe there are many factors that can play into an "accent" with technology beyond only age, but it is something that is easier to visually represent.

I relate to Prensky's early points regarding educators that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with a lot of technology. I was lucky enough to be in a district that prided itself on being on the cutting edge of technology, especially as the first group of students into two newly constructed schools -- a junior high and high school. This highlighted the differences between more established teachers and those right out of college -- again, this not being something specifically on age. Some that were freshly out of college were of the traditional age in their early twenties, but others had entire careers and were beginning anew in education. We were one of the first schools in our state to receive smartboards. Although, one teacher was so outraged by the device, that she literally turned all of the desks around and made the former back of the class the new front as it still had a white board.

There's more than corn in Indiana

I remember the AV cart and the overhead projector with film rolls you could write on from my elementary (K-4) and intermediate (5-6) days. I remember going to the computer lab once a week to learn PowerPoint even though a majority of the students could utilize more functions and features than our instructor. I was so happy to enter the higher grades in a brand new school with mostly newer teachers. I do believe that the curriculum felt contemporary and innovative with each teacher appearing to try and leverage the technology at their disposal.

I then moved to Florida in high school. The teachers were more established and I felt very little innovation. I went from an AP World History class in suburban Indianapolis that utilized Kindles to read literary journals from renowned historians to an American Government class in Pinellas County where we couldn't bring our textbooks home because we had to share them with a buddy in class. The schools had chalkboards. I remember coming home to tell my parents that I didn't know if I had ever seen a classroom without at least one whiteboard and that all of the new Expo markers I had bought were useless.

Probably the picture I painted of a Florida classroom to my friends back home as a melodramatic teenager

Looking back on my experience now, to be honest, I don't know what the root cause of this disproportionate learning was. The socioeconomic standing of the two areas were similar, if not more wealthy in Florida. Was it a budgeting issue at the district level as the Florida school was a county district versus a town? Overcrowded classrooms were undoubtedly an issue for both districts, hence the opening of two new schools in my time in Indiana. The curriculum of the Florida classes were far behind my Indiana schools and my classmates of the former were much less tamed. In my younger and more vulnerable years, I attributed it all to one thing - the age of my teachers. My Indiana teachers tried new things and related to us and our interests. They weren't all young but they seemed youthful. My Florida teachers were more established, the books they used were sometimes older than me. They didn't connect.

Perhaps it was that in Indiana, they utilized technology and they weren't afraid to fail. I remember teachers saying things like "this is experimental" or "we are piloting" this or that. Of course, I didn't commit a lot of what we actually did to memory and I can't even remember specific examples that stood out to me as being extremely different. Not only did they use technology, but they changed the way they did things to accommodate the technology. Florida didn't try anything that I noticed.

Today, I consider myself comfortable with technology and even, at times, tech savvy. Is this because of my age or because of my education? Maybe both -- maybe neither.

I have never approached these differences as an educator. Do any of you have experience in working in different states or districts that approached technology differently? What are your opinions on technology in learning?

Ongoing

Even in our WFH lifestyle where days don't matter, I find myself lost within a three day weekend where I feel that Monday is actually Sunday. On a personal note, this week saw me travel 11 hours by car to my out-of-state home with a toddler to prepare her first home for closing. I will now have to live within the hour difference of Eastern and Central time zones. A simple task that I struggled with the entirety of my time as a Nashville resident.

Welcome home!

All of this "life" stuff resulted in me not being able to play and marinate as much as I would have liked to within the content of week two. Now settled, I plan to remain in the sandbox to explore Digital Natives further while we also move ahead into the content of week three.

I love interacting with everyone through comments and so many brought great perspectives into the mix. While I am really enjoying blogging, I do feel that the spread of comments may lead to a lack of interaction in a way. But seeing more fleshed out opinions and experiences in other classmates blogs has been an enriching experience. 

Overall, I feel that the conversation of Digital Natives is one that seems to live on the surface. Mooper left a great comment that got me thinking. As a millennial in K12 during the period of time designated as the first round of Digital Natives, I can see where tech was trendy and therefore education seemed to slap on a tech "Band-aid" without changing their content. Replication of stale practices and content via a virtual means does not create meaningful change. There needs to be a reorganization or re-thinking of practices.

I think it is unfair of us to label an entire generation as tech savvy without taking the time to train them to leverage the tools at their disposal in meaningful ways. At the same time, I find it impossible to think that a generation that grew up around certain technological means to not have a natural inclination to pick certain things up if introduced at a young age.

For example, there are coding camps now for young kids. Just like learning a language at a young age is easier than as you age, I imagine technology in the same way.

I am excited to stay in this topic a bit longer and see how it connects with week three and beyond!

Generation - Wait, Me?

Digital Natives, as defined by Marc Prensky are current K-12 students....when he wrote the article in 2001. That, my dear reader, makes me a digital native.

I have some initial feelings on the subject. Below are just some initial reactions on the Prenskey (2001) and Kirschner (2017) articles.

SEMANTICS

Do I find the term "Digital Native" to be scientific? No. Do I find there to be some truth within the idea of a Digital Native? Yes. Do I find the term harmful? Again, no.  Here I am going to explore a few points made in regard to the attention span, abilities and adaptation of and for so-called Digital Natives.

For one, I both believe that both do a disservice in the though of what a "Digital Native" constitutes. Kirschner cites articles and studies that look at the idea of a Digital Native through such a literal lens. As if a child born in 1995 and out of the womb knows how to function a PlayStation. Of course there is learning to be done. Digital Native, to me, is not a synonym for being tech savvy. Below is a great graphic from a blog that says that Millennials are a huge threat to corporate data because we can't do things, even techy things. I know! Millennials! That's the one thing we are supposed to do, right!?

Children are getting involved in technology at younger and younger ages. Does this constitute an automatic mastery of all aspects of technology? Obviously not. There is a need for instruction to help learners leverage technology in a way that works for them. However, just as learning a second language at a young age is easier than learning a second language as an adult, early education in technology can lead an easier understanding and positioning of themselves online later on. Feel comfortable in a digital environment can help someone be more open to learning other tasks through that medium later on. Just like a new language, you have to help them learn the vocabulary before you conjugate.

ATTENTION SPAN

The Prensky article points out that Digital Natives are accustomed to multitasking. I did not interpret this as a specific trait attributed only to this generation. I also did not read into him claiming if the concept of multitasking in the implied way of actually doing two things simultaneously. We know today that there is a switching in the brain and that even if "doing two things at once", you are actually doing multiple things just switching back in rapid succession. According to MIT professor, Earl Miller, while there’s "no such thing as true multitasking, the younger generation will be better at switching focus from one task to another" because they have had more practice from younger ages.

I find fault in there not being more information that speaks to the ability of a Digital Native to be fully engrossed with long periods of attention in things they find value in or are in any way interested in. I do not find the attention span issue to be specifically related to technology. Attention span is one of those things always attributed to the youth. In the '80s, Gen X was accused of being burnouts. The first generation of latchkey kids where divorce rates were up and both parents worked, they were the original MTV generation. As technology progressed, it has become easier to spot when boredom strikes. Instead of staring out a window or closing their eyes, the interconnected feel a twitch, an urge, to check their phone. To scroll Facebook. To do something other than pay attention. Generally speaking, many younger generations have had access to these types of things from younger and younger ages.

I think the tongue-in-cheek "Gen Z has an attention span of 8-seconds" to not be extremely harmful for instructional designers, facilitators, or other general humans to believe. Utilizing design and some flash and pizazz when able can be helpful to keep learning fresh and interesting. Conferences and classes alike have been more memorable for me as a learner when the facilitator or instructor utilizes an array of knowledge checks and leverages technology into their instruction.

Apparently, what people consider Digital Natives

GAMIFICATION

I loved educational video games growing up. Which reminds me, do you think my NeoPets are still alive? Along with every JumpStart CD-ROM ever created, I also remember playing a Madeline video game in which there were mini-games with math and reading comprehension while you traveled to far off places like Istanbul. There were probably many others. Can I tell you if those games had a profound affect on my education? No, but there were probably much less constructive ways I could have filled my time.

My Jam

Overall, I agree with Prensky's assertion that gamification can lead to real learning, especially in those that are younger. In those not as literate with technology, there can be too much emphasis on the rules and tools and take away the focus from the lesson trying to be conveyed. Certain games can be too routine for others. When the design is right and everything goes according to plan? Perfect.

ADAPTATION

The Kirschner article raises the question of "whether the digital native actually exists, let alone if their existence would be a valid reason to adapt education to them" which, to me, reads as fairly closed minded. Within reason, I find there to be a strong case to be made for always adapting education to fit your learners. He sites a study of Hong Kong University students in which students utilize technology for communication and entertainment more than supporting their education. My question to this would be if the school or professors spent any time teaching the students how they can do this? Were the students thoroughly taught how technology can help them in the studies? Are professors assigning work that requires 21st century thinking that could help strengthen that muscle? Overall, if a student is expected to sit in a lecture hall for 3 hours a week, read a couple of chapters in a textbook and take two tests based off of these two actions -- why would they spend any time with technology for education?

I find Prensky's points on how the curriculum of the American education systems needed to adapt to the new generation valid. I think that, 19 years later, that is still a relevant discussion. There is no doubt, a need to learn math. One cannot enter certain STEM careers without a strong base knowledge, but I do find his example of including more technology specific learning such as binary in the curriculum to be valid.

What are your takeaways from the discussion on Digital Natives?

Chapter 8: Networked Creators

Here is the lazy student's guide to Networked: The New Social Operating System by Lee Rainie Chapter 8: Networked Creators. Below I have summarized each section of the chapter followed by the main points pulled directly from the text.

Networked Creators

This section introduces the power of networked individuals on social media and other connected sites. As an example of this, we are introduced to blogger Peter Maranci who creates a blog dedicated to his four hours of commuting on a northeastern railway. He eventually started to see updates to the things he complained about online. He eventually fizzled out online as he switched to WFH and no longer had relevant content to contribute to his commuter blog. Content creators online usually span multiple platforms to connect to others.

• In the age of the Triple Revolution, anyone with an internet connection and a bit of digital literacy can create online content that has the potential to reach a wide audience.
• While Maranci is not a celebrity or politician, he is able to act in the same environments they do and have influence on the issues that matter most to him. He would likely not have been very visible were it not for the affordances of ICTs.
• He said he had less to post, and his withdrawal shows that when unpaid networked creators lose interest or opportunity, they become less involved.
• Networked individuals often do not confine themselves to one type of content creation activity, but are involved in multiple types.

 

Creating in the Age of the Triple Revolution

• Nevertheless, ICTs had opened up the possibility for greater dialogue, especially with a public figure who is nearly impossible for an ordinary person to reach.
• “Sites such as YouTube, eBay, Facebook, Flickr, Craigslist and Wikipedia only exist and have value because people use and contribute to them, and they are clearly better the more people are using and contributing to them.”

 

Collaborative Content Creation on Wikipedia

In this section, the process of how content is created and edited collaboratively on Wikipedia through examples of  the 2008 election.

• Many of the traditional processes of creating reliable information are abandoned in favor of a procedure based on interpersonal exchanges among networked individuals during their leisure time.
• Professional elite producers no longer hold a monopoly on content creation and dissemination. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia mostly edited by amateurs, is a primary example of how knowledge is crowdsourced

 

Tag, You’re It!

Here there is a detailed account of how the Library of Congress had digital volunteers upload and tag thousands of photos on the platform Flickr. They then allowed these photos to be usable by the internet at large. While their were concerns of internet trolls, this fear was not realized.

• A small team of the library’s staff managed by Michelle Springer was in the process of placing approximately three thousand historic photographs on the popular photo-sharing website Flickr. They needed people who were members of Flickr to help provide more information about the photos by commenting and adding labels, also known as “tags"
• The Library of Congress team noted that the response from Flickr members and observers was “overwhelmingly positive and beneficial”
• Moreover, the Library of Congress team decided to enable Flickr’s “blog this” functionality, which allowed the photos to be incorporated into the personal blogs and websites of networked individuals.
• Thus, in releasing the historic photos, the Library of Congress opened the doors for people to integrate the past with the present through their own creations and with their own interpretations.
• The library’s material had been enriched, expanded, and made more accurate and accessible by its invitation to people to contribute their own insights and engage in their own conversations about the photos.
• By December 2011, fifty-six additional museums, libraries, and archives were participating in the Flickr Commons initiative, a project compiling artifacts from the past and crowdsourcing them for modern interpretation.

 

The Egyptian Revolt, On and Offline

The Arab Spring. If you are unfamiliar with this uprising, I highly recommend you read this section in its entirety. It outlines how social media platforms like Facebook really are responsible for connecting the younger population of Egypt to organize in anti-government rebellions. Without social media and the ability to remain connected on the move though cell phones, the likelihood of this event happening would be diminished. When the authorities closed their largest news network, Al Jazeera, the only way the world was able to see what was happening were through social media reports and videos from local's phones.

• How online content creation and community building, in tandem with offline gatherings and backstage maneuvering, can aid mass mobilizations 
• In 2008, Ahmed Mahar and his friends had created the “April 6 Youth Movement” as a Facebook group to promote and coordinate a nationwide general labor strike.
• The Tunisian uprising had special resonance in Egypt because it was prompted by incidents of police corruption and viral social media condemnation of them.
• provided practical advice, such as sniffing lemons, onions, and vinegar for relief from tear gas...
• As Egyptian blogger Mahmoud Salem said, the internet created a “parallel Egypt” through which networked individuals could communicate.
• Egyptian authorities closed down Al Jazeera’s office in Cairo, the pan-Arab broadcasting network called on people to send blog posts and videos of what was happening on the ground to expand coverage of the protests. Mobile phones were so essential

 

How All This User-Generated Content Is Changing the Media Landscape

 This section outlines the differences of content in blogs, Twitter, and YouTube versus mainstream media outlets.

• Bloggers gravitated toward stories that elicited emotion, concerned individual or group rights, or triggered ideological passion.
• Blogs have highly partisan language
• Twitter, by contrast, technology itself is a major topic of posts—with a heavy focus on Twitter itself—while politics often plays a much smaller role.
• YouTube - the most watched videos have a strong sense of serendipity.
• blogs shared the same lead story with traditional media in just thirteen of the forty-nine weeks studied.
• Twitter shared the same lead story with traditional media in just four weeks of the twenty-nine weeks studied.
• YouTube, the top stories overlapped with traditional media eight out of forty-nine

 

The Week of March 30 to April 5

To further drive home the previous section, this section focuses on the differences in news stories in a single week. In this week, they detail a summit in Europe and all of the economic uncertainties and protests that were occurring in early 2009 covered by the mainstream media. On Twitter, the biggest story was an April Fool's Joke.

• Bloggers and other social media creators are not “on scene” and obliged to cover topics.  
• The most discussed and linked-to story of this same week on the New Media Index was not even a real story—or an American story. As an April Fool’s prank, the Guardian, a British newspaper, said it would end its print edition and use the popular online communications site Twitter to draw attention to its stories.  
• Common traits of stories that take off among social media creators. They are passed around a lot and gain velocity after a critical mass of internet users finds them funny or otherwise valuable.  
• In sum, the stories in social media often differ from stories in traditional media because they frequently cover different subjects, have a different narrative sensibility, and have different pathways to capture the attention of their audience.

 

Networked Stars are Found and Mashed-up

This section outlines how creators on YouTube such as Justin Beiber have been plucked out of obscurity and into real celebrity. It also goes into detail about how creators collaborate to create mash-up songs and remixes.

 

Identity Creation and Reputation Management

This section touches on how people choose to brand themselves online and how it can lead to "real" success or fame. Note, this talks about leveraging their way out of being an online "star" and into success in the real world.

• There are people who use the internet and smartphones to advertise themselves and build networks that reach out to strangers. They can brand themselves, using ICTs to become celebrities of a kind.
• With ICTs acting as doors that could lead to relative fame and increased social standing, some networked individuals are becoming more deliberate in building their reputations online.

Why Become A Networked Creator?

• A form of self-expression
• An opportunity to learn
• A space for collaboration
• A place to connect with community
• A sense of empowerment
• The prelude to greater glory

Everybody Wants to Get Into the Act

• A major impact of this democratization of media participation is that it enables a new breed of media creators to step onto the cultural stage.
• This reshuffles the relationship between experts and amateurs and reconfigures the ways that people can exert influence in the world.
• the 15th-century invention of the printing press gave new life to charlatans, quacks, alchemists, disseminators of ridiculous folk “wisdom,” propagandists, and other assorted evildoers. Digital technology has been roundly challenged for having the same impact.
• Just as not every violinist makes it to Carnegie Hall, not every networked creator becomes a star—or is even heard by more than their friends and relatives.

Networked: The New Social Operating System by Lee Rainie can be found here.

YouTube Creators, Then and Now

In week two's assigned readings from Networked, I have set my sights on chapter 8. As I have previously mentioned, a topic like Web 2.0 can quickly show its age as technological advances happen rapidly and trends come and go. Despite being only 8 year old, there are aspects of the text that do not broach content creators in a way like we seem them today, as they did not exist in the same way in 2012.

While there are a few topics I would like to see more explanation on in today's Web 2.0 landscape, one thing looms over them all -- the YouTube creators.

Shane Dawson (20 million subs) and Jenna Marbles (20 million subs) for Variety in 2014

In 2012, Jenna Marbles was one of the top YouTube channels with just under 6 million subscribers. Two years prior, she made a video titled "How to trick people into thinking your good looking." Right after graduate school Jenna was working in a nightclub and her video went viral. Since then, she has uploaded regular weekly(ish) videos that span vlogs to sketch humor. Another top channel was PewDiePie's video game commentary with just over 3 million subscribers.

Today, PewDiePie has 103 million subscribers. Oh, and PewDiePie is also allegedly bringing in $13 million dollars as a content creator.

Today, YouTube is where people 10 years my junior drop out of high school to move to LA with another dozen teen vloggers in a mansion.

Tana Mongeau (5.4 million subs)

In the text, Rainie brings up such altruistic reasons why someone would want to be a content creator.

Self expression

Opportunity to learn

Space to collaborate

Connect with community

A sense of empowerment

Sure, there is a reference to the celebrity-adjacent status some may achieve through their chosen medium, but the text focuses on how those on YouTube such as Justin Bieber worked the platform to jump into real stardom as a pop star. That section is titled "prelude to greater glory" as if there isn't true glory to be had in being a full time content creator on YouTube.

Because what the text does not address is the influencer. The influencer, a full time position, spans multiple platforms in promoting his or her brand --which is his or her self. They set trends. They dictate what their fanbase thinks is cool or uncool. There are a million subjects the influencer can influence. My father, a gearhead, watches YouTube channels dedicated to reviewing cars and motorcycles. My mother, an environmentalist, watches YouTube channels dedicated to minimalism and going green. A close friend who recommended I jump into the world of YouTube last year, is engrossed in the toxicity of the beauty influencers.

 Jenna Marbles (20 million subs) with James Charles (19 million subs)

Between ad revenue, sponsorship deals, merchandise, and other products, the influencer is selling themselves. Selling access to their network. In a 2014 article for Variety profiling two popular creators, Shane Dawson and Jenna Marbles, the author Todd Spangler made a great point:

"Digital platforms have flipped the conventional formula on its head. Online personalities amass an audience first, and make money after. And what’s more, building that audience can be done without Hollywood’s help."

 

 As trends continue to move in a way where internet culture and mainstream culture become less distinguishable, how will this effect our networks? Our Lives? Our impressionable kids?

In a 2019 survey, being a YouTuber was the most sought after profession for kids in the US and UK. 

 

Is this desire for fame and fortune? Or is Gen Z just so creative and empowered that this is their answer to rejecting a traditional career? What are your thoughts on influencers?

Digital Natives

This week will look at Web 2.0 while defining an deconstructing the term "Digital Native." This is something I am both overjoyed to cover and a little nervous.

It is no secret that I have a deep passion for the study of generational cohorts. Reading the book Generation Z Goes to College by Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace was what inspired me to want to enter the field of education and training within higher education. After completing our assigned readings for the week, I hope to compare and contrast this book's findings for conflicting messaging or holes in its data.

Multiple generations socializing 

A generational cohort can be defined as a group of people though a span of (usually) around twenty years that have shared experiences similar to other born around the same time. (Something I think is cool and totally irrelevant to what I am talking about -- because of advances in technology moving so rapidly, the shared experience is vastly different over a 20 year span. Some have predicted that Get Z is the last "traditional" 20-year cohort.) Of course, the traits associated with each generation are largely conjecture and generalizations. There are undoubtedly Baby Boomers that are extremely tech savvy or Generation Z members that do not have an online presence. Other demographical data plays into these features such as socioeconomic background and geographical locations. All of my experiences with generational studies have been through the lens of American generational cohorts.

In general, generations of recent focus have been the Baby Boomers (1946-1965), Gen X (1966-1981), Millennial (1982-1997), and Gen Z (1998-2018). I would be remiss to exclude the micro-generation of Xennials which fall somewhere in between the Millennials and Gen X. Those that consider themselves as a part of this micro generation demonstrate that the accepted dates and experiences of these groups are fairly fluid. Members of Gen Z are often referred to as "Digital Natives" as they have grown up in a world with advanced technology that has shaped much of their world in a way that looks different than others that came before.

Okay, Boomer.

In all of my facilitation experience, it is almost the exclusive topic that I covered over numerous conferences and training summits. Even when my topic did not focus on communication across generational lines or playing to the strengths of younger generations, I usually found ways to weave this information in my sessions.

So, why am I nervous to look into Digital Natives? Connecting people to best communicate and collaborate with Generation Z was a large focus of mine in which I utilized this term frequently. I am hopefully that the overall discovery will be the noting flippant utilization of these types of generalizations among large groups of people while noting that just because Gen Z grew up with these technologies available, does not inherently make them more apt to adopt to new technologies.

A better blogger would insert a joke about avocado toast and Millennials here

Is there any truth behind the concept of a Digital Native? Is it all a fallacy? Only week two will tell! (okay, not ONLY week two, but you get it.)

End of the bar debate?

There is a great line in a Walt Disney World attraction, Carousel of Progress, which rotates guests through a stage show with animatronics through various decades of the twentieth century demonstrating the ingenuity and innovation of progress. A scene set in the "fabulous forties" showcases their new television set.

The protagonist, Father, proclaims the following: "You know, I predict the day when millions of people will learn Latin and Greek sitting in front of their TV sets."

Jim, Rover appreciates your joke

Immediately following, grandma changes the channel to a boxing match and yells at the TV to knock him out.

Some things never change.

Throughout this week, I have been looking into everything Google has to offer me on "'specific thing' + Web2.0." In my rabbit hole, I've come across a number of articles that feel outrageously antiquated as they talk about MySpace, Friendster, and Vine or don't discuss how Google and Facebook own all of the data we willingly (or unknowingly) provide them with. Even our textbook written less than 10 years ago feels like it isn't extremely current. In Web 2.0, things move fast.

This keeps brining my mind to a place where it wants to compare and contrast 2006 to 2020. The first big difference was that I didn't feel like a wild west bandit trying to rob Publix to buy a loaf of bread. Pandemic aside, in 2006 I had a Sidekick III covered in Syvosky crystals because that's what teen media had told me was cool. I couldn't go on the internet because the charge per minute was too expensive and my dad "would like totally kill me." My hands never moved faster than when the internet button had accidentally been pushed and I was afraid that just that 5 seconds would bankrupt my family. The following year my father would wait in line outside for hours and buy his first smartphone, something I would inherit later as he upgraded for a newer model.

The iPhone changed everything. We had access to unlimited information. In our pockets.

People probably thought that we would learn Latin and Greek while riding the train into work just through the little screen we held in our pockets.

Nothing I make in quarantine is worthy of Instagram

Instead, we watched a ton of cat videos on YouTube and took eight pictures of our breakfast.

Some things never change.

As the first week of the summer semester comes to a close, I think what I am most interested in learning is not only how to utilize Web 2.0 to my advantage to engage learners, but how to really create meaningful communities of practice. Social media and our screens often get a bad rap for distracting us from the now, from the moment, from our friends. Some say that the iPhone even killed the bar debate.

But social media is, by definition, social. Learning how to harness this power for good is going to be an interesting journey. A never-ending journey because in 10 years everything I just said will feel antiquated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go see if Barney Stinson included any tips on how to blog.

The interpenetration of home and work

I'm talking with a former colleague who is living at home with her extended family. In her home there are her two grandparents, her aunt, herself, and a dog. She no longer can escape to friends houses for long weekends nor travel to new cities each week for her work. She is stuck. Still employed, she isn't terribly busy due to the closures of campuses nationwide. 

As technology has progressed, the picture of the typical office has changed. Some progressive organizations have allowed for more flexibility in hours or location of employees, some having full time remote staff members. Apps such as Microsoft Teams and Slack allow for employees to communicate and connect easily while on the go, sitting in the office, or working from home. No longer do employees need to rely on a fax or scanner to transmit important documents -- there are apps that create PDFs straight from your phone and you can store them in the cloud or send them as an email or even a text.

"Home and work have become more intertwined than at any time since hordes of farmers went out into their fields." (Rainie)

These wonderful Web 2.0 advancements and ability to connect easily has blurred the lines on what is considered our "work" lives and our "home" lives. I've often been out to dinner with the aforementioned colleague while she is required to hop on a call or shoot a quick email, long after clocking out at the end of the day. It is as if because everyone is always so connected to their work and so accustomed to receiving their answers immediately that we expect those on the other end of our email chain to drop everything and respond before the message even leaves the outgoing box.

Rainie's comments on interpenetration of home and work in Networked come from 2012. In the eight years following the publication, technology has improved by exponential leaps and bounds. 

Oh, and virtually everyone still able to maintain employment has been forced into their homes to be both employee and teacher and babysitter and disciplinary and short order chef and the list goes on I am sure. The time spent on work affairs certainly looks different for many right now. Maybe their overall hours are consistent, but not consecutive. Maybe others are truly unable to disconnect as the work and home lives have literally become indistinguishable.

The new administrative assistant 

What does this "interpenetration" look like on the other side of this great unpleasantness? How many employees are going to fall in love with working remotely? How many employers are going to find that the overhead cost of a central location for employees is unnecessary? 

If greater percentages of the workforce never return to the traditional office space, how do we retrain our brain to give ourselves the sanctuary of a work life and a home life? More importantly, what will our mental health look like if we can't? 

Welcome to the internet

Above: A mainstay of the internet, a meme

Well, actually, welcome to Web 2.0. But anyway, please follow me regardless.

As someone that grew along with the internet, I didn't think there would be something so ingrained in its culture that I was so oblivious to. I mean, I watched Chocolate Rain and Shoes by Kelly on YouTube back in 2006. I've been on Twitter for eleven years. I made the transition from AIM to MySpace and was on Facebook when it was exclusive to students.

I wasn't quite the digital natives like Gen Z, but as a young Millennial, I felt I knew it all. Web 2.0? Never heard of it.

Without knowing it, however, Web 2.0 had shaped my online world for decades. Almost every aspect of my digital dealings were within this sphere.  But what is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is interactive. It is defined as participatory web where the focus is on user-created content. Web 2.0 is sharing photos on Instagram and fake news on Facebook and self-degrading humor on Twitter. Social Media, something my phone tells me I spend 5 hours a week scrolling through, is only one example of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 stretches past these into much more.

Above: Map showing fourteen categories of Web 2.0 Technologies

Where does Web 2.0 play into Instructional Design? Officially, TBD. My own assumptions thus far?Social media creates Communities of Practice. Utilizing Web 2.0 tools can help get learners communicating and bonding in ways that can further their learning. If designing for asynchronous use, which so many are being thrown into unprepared as we experience great challenges globally, these connections and relationships are more difficult to foster yet no less important.

Gen Z grew up knowing only a life with some form of social media. They are truly digital natives. Gen Z loves social media and they check it daily. Integrating something they love in a way that is meaningful to their learning? That undoubtedly would check off a few boxes in motivation and attention.