Over Socialized

This weekend has been difficult to be on social media. There's an overwhelming amount of political and unhealthy posts. I am glad I joined a couple of communities about mindful living. It has helped fill my news feed and social media outlets with positive news and posts.

One of the communities had a post about "where you get your self worth from." On the post was also a list of where you no longer get your self worth. The list contained social media, news/media, and societal norms. All of these are current and actively feeding to the negative feelings of being over socialized.

Finding a Community

The early part of this week, I spent a lot of time trying to find a community to join for a class assignment. I wanted one that I would enjoy being apart of and be willing to participate in. I’m a social media lurker, so this was a difficult task for me. Where would I be comfortable having a presence and sharing my opinion or thoughts. Keep in mind this is a me community I don’t know anything about. I don’t know their members and they don’t know me. Is that a good thing? Would it be easier for me to participate in a community of total strangers initially?

After a couple days of searching I finally decided on a community I felt would be open to me and one that I would be comfortable with joining. The community’s focus is on mindful living.
Could there be a better community to join for a social introvert?! Probably not.

As began reading the daily posts and comments of the community members, I felt a connection to the community and quickly was able to participate by liking several posts and pictures of mindful living tips.

Joining a new community can be scary but finding one that you can connect to makes it worth taking the leap. Trusting that my interests are also shared with others.

Silent Generation

Anyone out there still receive a printed newspaper? Over the weekend I received a newspaper clipping from my grandmother. It was on the best site to visit for travel deals. My boyfriend just laughed and said, "you know, she could've just sent you a link to the article."

So it got me thinking, how many Silent Generationals use social media or Web 2.0?

My grandmother is old school. she grew up in the depression era. To this day, she still receives a printed copy of the newspaper, does not have internet or event a TV in the house! She does own a smart phone (iphone) and regularly sends texts. Using texting shorts. I'm honestly surprised by this since she is always on our case for grammar!

If you are still wondering who is part of the Silent Generation, well they are the generation who preceded the Baby Boomers.

I did a little research on 1) what is the generation preceding the baby boomers called - the Silent Generation 2) do they use social media?

The answer is yes! In an article by Emily Vogels (2019), 28% of the silent generation say they use social media. In 2019, 37% used Facebook. Which is almost double from 2015.

The article was very enlightening to the various generations and how they use social media, the internet, and whether they own a smart phone or tablet.

Resource:

Vogels, E. A. (2019, September 9). Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life. Pew Research Center. https://pewrsr.ch/2A3kD6X

Reflection

I spent a lot of time reading other's blogs this week and noticing all the different topics associated with Web 2.0 and social media. I read about social media books being read (for class and fun), bloggers rediscovering their blog voices, whether or not the blogger is a digital native or immigrant, and so many more. They all resonated with me on different levels and I left comments where I could.

I am still discovering my own comfort zone with social media, but excited for the journey.

Welcoming Social Media

My hesitation of social media comes from my desire to be private about my personal life. Perhaps I was hoping my childhood dreams of being a CIA agent would come true if there wasn’t a digital footprint. Obviously that is not the case. Or is it?! Just kidding.

Anyways, my first introduction to Web 2.0 was with social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook. Originally designed for participants to share their daily life experiences with friends. I often struggled, and still do, with needing to share what I made for lunch. I do realize that is not what Facebook nor MySpace was used for but you get the idea. I did not have a positive perception of online social platforms. To be honest I am still skeptical today, but have more of an open mind to the benefits of social media platforms for educational purposes.

To this day, my friends comment on my limited Facebook posts, acknowledging the “once-a-year” posting. It’s usually to my annual place of travel somewhere in the world.

Based on an article by Marc Prensky titled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, I am a digital immigrant. I base this designation by how he defines the actions and thoughts of digital immigrants vs digital natives. As the article continues to explain digital immigrants and digital natives, I realize I am a cross between both. I like my paper books and printed articles, and yet I use Google as my life line for learning new things. I would be lost in thought without having a search engine at my finger tips.

Can I become a digital native, as is my generational classification? Or better yet, can I become a digital native instructor, as the article suggests we should shift towards?

    Prensky, M. (2001). Digital native, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

Accidential Web 2.0 Wallflower

I woke up early this morning and realized I had not written/reflected what I've been reading on blogs and from class readings. I panicked! It's Wednesday, which feels like the end of the week, and I've been a wallflower.

I read a few blogs on Web 2.0 and Social Media. I left a couple of comments and some reflective thoughts on how the post resonated with me personally. One blog topic really caught my attention. It was on social media post's perpetual life.

As I was typing my comment to the writer, I realized I had written my own perspective post on the topic. I decided it was too much to leave in a comment and so revised my message to the writer to keep it simple. Then I moved on to reading the next few blogs. I had every intention to take my thoughts I had originally written in the comment and make my own blog post. As you can see, this is not it and I have not written my blog post on the for-ev-erness of social media posts. That's coming next...

Web 2.0 Tools

This week I jumped into a class on Web 2.0. I spend the better part of the week trying to define Web 2.0 and learning what platforms or tools are considered Web 2.0.

If you recall, my definition of Web 2.0 is interaction with the internet. There are many tools which allow for the contribution of information to the internet. Among the many tools a part of Web 2.0, I use Facebook, Pintrest, and Instagram. As my course suggested, I signed up for Blogger and joined Twitter. As the course continues, I anticipate learning more about how to use each of the tools more in depth and for a specific purpose, not just social fun.

This week is my first experience blogging. I think it's going well. You can tell me how I'm doing in the comments. :-)

Defining Web 2.0

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Web 2.0 is interacting with the internet. I spent the last couple of days reading and Googling Web 2.0 and what it means. Overall, all the sites, blogs, tech definitions, and videos I explored would agree Web 2.0 is interacting with the internet on various platforms.

One definition I particularly liked is from Tech Terms. The definition begins with a historical perspective of why we call it Web 2.0. As a history buff, I appreciate the background knowledge. I'm able to understand better why it is referred to as Web 2.0 rather than just Social Media.

I think it is safe to simply define Web 2.0 as interacting with the internet on a social level. However, keeping in mind, the evolution of how that occurs will continue to grow. Improvements will be made to specific platforms.

Reference:

Christensson, P. (2008, January 14). Web 2.0 Definition. Retrieved 2020, May 15, from https://techterms.com

What is Web 2.0?

I am beginning this blog to document my journey of understanding and immersing myself in social media.

First up, Web 2.0. What is it? I've heard the term before but never really considered what it meant beyond the internet. One of my professors recommended I register for a class titled Web 2.0. I was hesitant at first. I thought it would be all about designing a website- Not in my wheelhouse or really interesting to me. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was not designing a website in a coding-sense (as I feared).

As mentioned before, this blog is going to document my growing understanding of what Web 2.0 is and how I interact with it. My first exposure to defining Web 2.0 is simple. Web 2.0 is interacting with the internet.

But is it really that simple?