I totally agree with the risks you presented about the use of public communication. I also found the lack of control for information to be wide-spread a big problem especially when it is wrong and misleading. I also think that the social media platform that people post and spread the information on has the control over the information, and it makes the spreading of the information even riskier because if the power is used unethically, it could lead to serious results. So discussing the power and rights of the owners and “controllers” of social media platforms can be a very important topic.
The use of advertisements to control people’s action is a good aspect that I haven’t thought about when I wrote mine, but I really agree that it can be a big problem. As you mentioned, the apps track one’s likes and dislikes and recommend people to buy things based on their preferences. It is a violation to one’s privacy to some extend. I also want to add that the advertisements could be used to shape people’s idea, which could be mislead sometimes. It is also an aspect of advertisement being a problem to control or shape people’s mind. What do you think?
To network using social media is to build a personal network with the help and features of social media that could reach individuals in a field of study swiftly and effectively. The features of different types of social media allow us to reach out to people who are professional, or people who are interested in a field. Using social media to network means one could expand one’s circle and listen to more new and interesting ideas, as well as communicate or even collaborate with others. Some features of social media would also provide platforms for more people to get together online and discuss one topic and share ideas and thoughts.
Networking and Motivation of Participation
Networked publics are easier for us to participate in many ways. The motivation comes from the convenience and the resourcefulness that the networked publics could provide us. We as learners or educational academics could gather information, resources, new ideas and thoughts, as well as methods on the platform. The network gives us the chance to speak our minds, listen to others’ opinions and exchange these information. We should be motivated by the abundant information the networked publics could gather and for us to get access to, and by the convenience it provides because all we need to be able to reach the information and discussions is a device that has internet access.
Rewards and Risks of Public Communication
The rewards of public communications are very obvious and abundant. First, we get to have access to more information. Compared to traditional communications where time and location restricts individuals, public communications break the barriers of time and space so that we could get information from people all over the world as long as there is internet. It could be synchronous or asynchronous. This reward frees us from scheduling to fit or physical location limits and allows us to communicate or communication sake. Second, public communications provide a platform for ideas to sparkle. With the first feature, the network could gather numerous people regard of their background. This gives more ideas and thoughts a place and allows them to interact and create new ideas. Exchanging opinions from diverse backgrounds also creates more inclusion, mutual understanding and values from different perspectives. Last, public communications gives the voice to more people rather than a few authorities. On the online platforms, we are more likely to interact, communicate and collaborate with individuals rather than authorities or organizations. This also provides individuals with more opportunities to express their own voices. We hear not only the authorities opinions but also the ideas from public which sometimes can be closer to reality. As individuals, we also have more opportunities to express our own thoughts and share them so as to get the attention of others like us.
The risks of public communications come with the rewards. First, the abundant information online can be a bliss, but also a burden with there is too much information. More time would be consumed on finding the right information which could sometimes take more than one person. Time consumption on dealing with the massive information can be overwhelming and sometimes impossible. Second, the platform that gathers information does not have a filter to judge information itself, which means that as users we have the burden to evaluate the information. Some can be false and misleading, while others may be offensive and off-putting. With mutual understanding and communication also comes negativity such as personal assault, discrimination or quarrels. Last, giving voices to regular individuals could give them a chance to express their thoughts that are valuable, it could also spread thoughts that might be wrong, toxic and harmful to others and these thoughts could be difficult to censor. The risk also lies in the fact that sometimes people who manage the platform overpower the authorities when it comes to voices. Therefore, when we benefit from the convenience the public communication brings us, also keep in mind of the risks so that we do not get harmed by them.
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