September 16, 2019
"The Reader-to-Leader Framework:
Motivating Technology-Mediated Social Participation" by Preece and Shneiderman was an interesting read. It not only laid out how people develop their engagement in social media step by step, but also discussed users psychology when they use social media. Because everyone around me - including myself - use social media on a daily basis, I was not even aware how I developed the habit of using them and how my habits changed over time. After reading the article, I looked back on those early days - I don't even remember when - when I created my Instagram account. I first started out as an 'observer,' who merely enjoyed looking at other people's photos and slowly evolved (or degenerated) into a 'habitual user,' who posted my photos every once in awhile, and finally hit the peak as an 'active user,' who shared stories almost everyday. These days, I have reverted myself back to a habitual user and been trying to cut down the time I spend on social media. I have always secretly judged people who post flamboyant pictures of themselves but I cannot deny that I myself have also edited and added new filters to make my photos look nicer before posting online.
Now, here comes my question - is it 'bad' to leverage social media to boost self-confidence? Should it be judged? After reading the article, it appeared to me that people become more active on social media when they feel a sense of belonging or trust in the online community. Developing such ties in a real life can be challenging, and if you can find something of the equivalent online, I say that's great. Why not? Maybe we should modify our tendency to look down on social media champions when the ties they find from the online world can act as the ones they find from a real world? Regarding that the distinction between the real and the online world is becoming more blurry everyday, maybe the online social ties can be just as strong as the tie you feel from people who are physically next to you. Also, whether it be online or offline, I believe finding 'my' or 'your' community can be very tough. So here is my new thought. I approve of social media influencers, or just anyone who uses social media and finds confidence from the number of followers or the likes they receive from each post. I think as long as the medium works in a healthy way - not like the way that Preece and Shneiderman described as it can work for terrorists per se - I approve of social media.
Now, here comes my question - is it 'bad' to leverage social media to boost self-confidence? Should it be judged? After reading the article, it appeared to me that people become more active on social media when they feel a sense of belonging or trust in the online community. Developing such ties in a real life can be challenging, and if you can find something of the equivalent online, I say that's great. Why not? Maybe we should modify our tendency to look down on social media champions when the ties they find from the online world can act as the ones they find from a real world? Regarding that the distinction between the real and the online world is becoming more blurry everyday, maybe the online social ties can be just as strong as the tie you feel from people who are physically next to you. Also, whether it be online or offline, I believe finding 'my' or 'your' community can be very tough. So here is my new thought. I approve of social media influencers, or just anyone who uses social media and finds confidence from the number of followers or the likes they receive from each post. I think as long as the medium works in a healthy way - not like the way that Preece and Shneiderman described as it can work for terrorists per se - I approve of social media.
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ReplyDeleteHi Joanna! I also talked about Preece and Shneiderman (2009) article in my blog too! I definitely echo everything you are saying in the first paragraph. From my own experience, my friends tend to respond quicker on social media like Twitter or Instagram faster than if I had sent them a text. xD I post to post, but I also am using this technology to reach my friends quicker because I know they will get notifications. I think...in this day and age, it is more difficult to connect with others if we do not observe/participate on social media. This leaves to me ask ... What does this say about how we should foster deep relationships? Can one foster deep relationships online similar to how one does it face-to face?
ReplyDeleteRegarding your second paragraph, I do not think it is necessarily bad to leverage social media to boost self-confidence. I am guilty as I get hype if I post a photo, and people reply back with the fire emoji, or a "YAAAAS!" comment. Haha. I think finding communities in any space is difficult so I try to not see it as an either/or thing. Online and offline social ties both contribute to one's identity, and are sometimes blurred. For example, my mom told me she joined a Mom Facebook group, and they ask questions, comment on posts, share articles, etc. She knows if her kid was sick, if she called a friend at 5 AM, they probably won't pick up or if she wanted to ask her neighbor, they would probably be asleep. She knew asking on this mom FB group, someone, from around the world, would be awake and respond. (And a mom from Singapore did respond to my mom's question when her kid was sick! ) My mom found a community within this group to help her become a better parent, and now they are friends and do FaceTime chats. I think it really comes down to the purpose of the tool and what the user hopes to get out of it.