An entire term has passed and
yet, I feel as though I have only skimmed the surface of the different forms of
social media. Of course, ALES 204 covered a whole variety of communication
modes – from academic posters, to Pecha Kucha, to e-mail – but it was the vast
array of social media platforms we were exposed to that had the greatest
impression on me. Simply the sheer number of social media sites in existence is
amazing! I expanded my knowledge about sites such as LinkedIn, that allow you
to network with professionals in your fields, as well as sites such as
Delicious that allow you to access a variety of information pertaining to your
interests. I learned about all the different uses for Twitter, and how to use
Facebook for professional purposes. Additionally, I was amazed at the number of
sites and internet applications I was familiar with, but didn’t know they were
classified as social media platforms, such as YouTube and Skype. The class gave
me the opportunity to learn to use some of the platforms and what opportunities
they can provide.
Social media has become so
extensive that there are sites and articles, such as the entry from February
22, 2012 on this blog, that can help
you decide what social media platforms are right for you (Choquet, 2012). I
found the article helpful because, as Erin said in her blog, “social media tools are…
here to stay”, and so it is important to know which platforms will be most
appropriate for you (Hrycan, 2012). Additionally this means that, regardless of
what you think of the social media revolution, it is important to be informed and
equipped to use the tools. I appreciated that this class pushed me to further understand
social media and its uses.
Even after an entire term spent
discussing social media, I am still undecided if it is wholly beneficial to
society. Social media has changed how we live our lives. There are aspects of
it I wouldn’t give up for the world, and yet, I feel it sometimes does us a disservice.
ALES 204 has highlighted all the positive things social media can do for us
personally and for our society. Social media gives us hundreds of ways to communicate
with those around the world, have access to the most recent information and
news, raise social awareness, advertise your business, find jobs and so much
more! And for these things, I am grateful. However, I often feel social media
hinders our ability to make connections with ‘real life’ people. For two years,
I attended an international school where we were not allowed cell phones,
iPods, laptops outside our bedrooms, or wireless internet. We were forced to
socialise with one another in person.
After returning to Canada, what I noticed was striking; people of my generation
are disconnected. To generalise, they rarely look at each other when walking to
class, instead, they are on their smartphones; when they arrive in class,
instead of chatting with the person beside them, they go on Facebook; after
class, it is commonplace for students to sit online for hours, watching YouTube
videos or going on other social media sites, instead of interacting with
friends or family. Now, it would be hypocritical of me not to admit that I often
do the same (though my cellphone is anything but smart), but I still think
that, in this sense, social media has failed us.
 |
| It is important to retain the ability to communicate face-to-face (Becker, 2012) |
Pamela Bentley did an exercise
with us in class where we had to introduce ourselves to five people in the
class and talk with them for a few minutes. It was hard! After the basic
information was exchanged, it was difficult to know what questions to ask next.
But if you were to ask someone of our grandparents’ generation to do the same exercise,
they would have no problem at all and within a few minutes of discussion, they
would feel a connection. As Ms. Bentley stated, the supposedly simple skill of
talking to people and establishing a connection is very important, but is one
that requires practice. With the influx of social media, we no longer have as
much practice and so are losing this skill. However, this skill is important
because being able to quickly establish a connection raises your esteem in the
eyes of others and helps make a great first impression. For this reason, I
greatly appreciated the lectures that focused on public speaking and interviewing
skills. No matter what our future profession is, these are two abilities that
will be essential. Even if we are not required to speak to large groups of
people, we will be required to communicate important information to those we
work with and/or to clients; the public speaking skills this class has taught
us will be consistent with the skills we will need to effectively communicate
in the workplace.
Throughout the course, I
commented on the following classmates’ blogs:
References
Becker, D.
(2012). Changing connections [Image].
Chouquet, F.
(2012, February 22). Social Media Landscape 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012 from
http://www.fredcavazza.net/ .
Hrycan, E. (2012,
April 12). ALES 204 – Looking back. Retrieved April 12, 2012 from http://erinhrycan.blogspot.ca/
Wonderful reflection on the class Danielle! I'm also not sure if I like the idea that social media is taking away from our "real life." Each time I'm on the train or eating at a restaurant, I see people on their phones or electronic devices instead of talking to the people they're with. I mean if they don't know each other then that's understandable. But even the people they know, they'd rather go on their phones than make that effort to talk to them and get to know them. That actually disappoints me quite a bit. I hope that people learn to grasp social media and not let social media grasp them. I as well learned a lot in ALES 204 and I'm greatful to have taken this course and have learned to become an effective communicator. Good luck with your future pursuits!
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