Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in a professional capacity – consider if having an audience critical of your work needs a public discussion that includes your identity and ask yourself how much of your personal identity should be connected to professional social media platforms? (Include these questions and references to both the video [Harrison Mooney] and provided reading in your response.)
In the case of Harrison Mooney, I think that it would be extremely difficult to have to deal with the situations he has dealt with. I believe that if you are professional and exceptional in your career, it should not matter what your skin colour, background or situation is. However, I believe it is important in certain situations’ to know more about a person’s background to understand the points of view that people laying out.
Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in public discourse – especially when addressing our differences?
Having a PLN is a very important tool in this day and age, but if they aren’t set up in the correct way, they could hinder your development. For instance, if you have a very constrained and narrow thinking PLN, you may lose the different perspectives on a situation that you might never think about. This could be detrimental to how you shape your ideologies as you are not exposed to the situations of others who are in different circumstances than you. However, a diverse and inclusive PLN will accelerate the development of thoughts and ideas because you are including more important voices in the conversation.
How can a PLN be curated to minimize bias and expand knowledge of the lives of others?
One of the main points that have been talked about in this class is that we need to have inclusive and diverse PLN’s to allow for a wholesome understanding of the world. Having people in your circle that come from different backgrounds, are in different professions or other ways of life is extremely beneficial. It allows you to understand and view the world in a different way than people who may have tight knit communities with a more constrained domain of thinking. Not only does this allow you to expand your own knowledge base, but it allows you to be the unique voice for others to hear in your PLN.
How does the identity of who you are, fit into your PLN?
Being a straight white man, I have not experienced the hardships that many of the other individuals in the world have experienced. It is extremely important for me to explore the realities of how other people traverse the world and figure out the different angles of situations that may not be the normal way I would look at something. It is very important for me to have highly diverse and inclusive PLN to learn about the perspectives of others who have grown up in completely different situations compared to me.
Do you include professional and personal boundaries?
Obviously, it is important to have some boundaries when it comes to separating personal and professional life, however, I believe it is always best to be as authentic as possible. When you are being your most authentic, you are able to communicate with the world at a much higher level because it is the easiest to lay out your thoughts. When you are being un-authentic, you will find it is much more difficult and less effective at getting information across.
References
Meikle, G. (2016) Social Media: Communication, Sharing and Visibility (pp. 69-95).
Mooney, H. (2020). [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/elKNQpz0RrI
Hello,
I really liked your blog post this week. I really liked how you talked about that by having a narrow minded PLN it would have the ability to hinder your ability to see different perspectives. I believe that by surrounding yourself with very open minded people who come form different backgrounds and see the world differently to you is a great way to learn and expand upon what you already know. It is very important to always consider other peoples feelings and how they interpret certain situations.
-Leigh
Hi Braeden!
I really agree with your last point about maintaining authenticity. I understand the desire in a professional context to want to keep your cards close to your chest, so to speak, but I feel as though maintaining a distant persona will only get you so far. People gravitate towards those they can relate to, and that can be a powerful aid in achieving goals and making connections. And like you said, communicating your thoughts is so much easier when you are speaking from lived experience and a genuine space. Obviously boundaries should exist, but I certainly air on the side of prioritizing authenticity.