How do notable individuals use social media?

Notable individuals use social media to engage with and update their audience on what they’re doing. They can use social media to showcase a product that they want to sell or an idea that they want to share. How notable individuals use social media varies widely from person to person, and it depends on their profession, beliefs and prejudices. There are so many different notable individuals on social media, such as educators, scientists, politicians, actors, musicians, celebrities, entrepreneurs, comedians, travelers, gamers and so much more. For example, a scientist can spread knowledge and insight on a certain topic to their followers, which can help them gain followers that are interested in that topic, and this can eventually help them achieve credibility for their contribution on social media. Politicians may use social media to keep users updated on current events and information on policies, as well as for campaigning. Nowadays, it is extremely popular for celebrities to use social media to showcase a sponsored product in exchange for a paid promotion. They do this because it is usually a win-win situation, in which the celebrity gets paid by the company to use or advertise the product, and the company gets increased exposure to their product.

What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

Being in the public eye gives an individual the advantage to spread information, allowing a diverse array of people to engage and interact with what that individual shares in their PLN. Sharing information to the public is particularly useful for individuals trying to get increased exposure to something that they care about, whether that is raising money for charity, spreading information about a political or climate issue, or even raising awareness about a certain topic. In addition, being in the public eye allows for anyone to see an individual’s profile, which can help that individual establish networking opportunities. This also is beneficial for the individual who is in the public eye, because this allows them to access a broad range of resources and information that can lead them to employer contacts, jobs, internships, and collaborations. Being in the public eye also allows individuals to retrieve various sources of information from varying perspectives, which can help them stay updated about current political, social and economic information.

Building a community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

Employers can be restrictive in terms of controlling and regulating what their employees can post. This can make the employees feel like they are being stripped of their self expression, as well as their expansion of diverse thoughts and ideas that they would want to incorporate into their PLN. This is because the tools that employers provide to their employees might have strict uses that do not reflect how employees regularly use online tools. Another restriction is that these tools can limit diversity, such that employees might not feel comfortable conforming to a certain perception that the employer wants, and can eventually lead to a monoculture of employees.

Some benefits of building a community with online tools provided by the employer is that the agreement between the employer and employee forms trust, and improves communication and transparency. If there are detailed instructions on how the employee can use these online tools, the employee can feel confident in knowing what they can post and share, and not have to worry about crossing the line with the employer’s regulations.

Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how do you build a PLN to rely on?

To build a PLN that is reliable and that incorporates verifiable resources, it is imperative that individuals do their own research to find the most reputable information before they post these resources online or talk to others about it. Individuals can do so by communicating with experts (eg. PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, physicians, and medical doctors) to ensure that they are utilizing the most factual and up-to-date information. In addition, reading the literature is very important to keep yourself updated on the latest information that is known on a certain topic. If an individual is trying to gain verifiable information on a drug, food or supplement, they should consult government websites, as these sites provide the most factual and well-established information to the public. In order to build a reliable PLN, an individual must broaden their PLN to help them consider diverse perspectives, allowing them to be open-minded to new and emerging concepts. Since verifiable resources are relevant and up-to-date, it is important for individuals to constantly seek new information in their area of interest to ensure that they are able to share and discuss current information.

How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize the risk of sharing misinformation?

For veteran storytellers, it is very important to minimize their risk of sharing misinformation in order to ensure that they are spreading accurate information and so they can retain their credibility. The first and most important strategy is to use verifiable and reputable sources of information. Such sources can come from scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, and government documents and websites. It is also extremely important to ensure that storytellers share current information, which is why they should always check that the information they are reading and analyzing is up-to-date. In order to avoid sites that openly showcase biases, storytellers should research the reputation of sources. However, it is important for the storyteller to recognize their own biases and to not close themselves off to new opinions that are different from their own preconceived notions. Another important component to sharing reliable information is to find multiple peer-reviewed articles that support the argument that you are wanting to share. By doing so, the storyteller has multiple sources that back up their claim, which improves their credibility. Another related point that is key to maintaining credibility is to be transparent with the sources that you used to form your story. This could involve sharing the websites, articles and databases with your audience.

How to best address negative replies and reviews which reflect your personal values?

The best way to address negative replies and reviews is to set boundaries and evoke discussions about these negative replies with your viewers. Personally, I have seen many influencers make follow-up videos to a previous video that they made, where they apologize or explain the intended purpose of the video. This establishes transparency to the viewers and gives the influencer credibility for their actions. The blocking function on many social media sites is very important for those to use when they receive serious threats and inappropriate comments on their media.

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – What are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, and government official)?

One of the big risks that comes with engaging with a public audience in a media space is that there will always be circulation of fake news. In the Political Economy of Fake News book, Martin Hirst mentions several ways why it is difficult to spot fake news (Hirst, 2018). Firstly, he mentions that it is easy for astute readers to identify bias in media sites that are openly left and right-winged. However, this bias can be more difficult to identify on mainstream news sources. Secondly, he mentions that it is almost impossible for current news media to have objectivity, such that news is solely factual. He describes how any form of news has always had bias and how there is a component of interpretation attached to every news story, which varies from one viewpoint to another. Tied to this issue is the divide of intuitionist and rationalist thinking. Intuitionists utilize their intuitive thinking through gut feelings and emotive responses, instead of utilizing data and facts, and confirm these intuitions via confirmation bias. Confirmation bias describes the idea that people are more willing to gravitate toward ideas and individuals who confirm their core beliefs. On the other hand, rationalists apply logic by using facts and empirical data to reach a viewpoint. The third issue with fake news is determining who will call out fake news and how will people call it out. This is a large issue as fact-checking is time-intensive and expensive, especially due to enormous influx of media that comes into online sources on a daily basis.

The benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space is that an individual can increase awareness and spread information very quickly to a wide range of audiences. It also allows the individual to gain exposure to their content and help grow their platform. The risks of a public figure or a person in a position of trust engaging with a public audience is that there are potentially security breaches that could take place. For example, misinformation can be spread by hackers that take the place of an important person, causing harm to the individual’s credibility, security and privacy.

References

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263