Thursday, October 8, 2009

How YouTube and Social Networking are causing us to understand ourselves differently

This video was really interesting, and made me think of social networking and technology in a whole new light. I thought the term "media ecology" was really interesting, meaning that the media is our environment. When Michael Wesch described how, when a new media is introduced, it creates new ways of relating to others; subsequently, it creates new ways of knowing and understanding ourself. That is an incredibly interesting concept; people adapt themselves to the different people that they are interacting with. When it comes to interacting with people through social media, especially YouTube, there are no constraints on how to act. It is just you and a webcam, or you and a keyboard. While most people are somewhat awkward with interacting with tons of people through interacting with no one (if that makes sense), it eventually encourages a sense of self awareness. This context collapse, although it is awkward at first, creates a situation in which you are free to experience things without fear. Wesch also explained that new forms of community (such as YouTube, facebook, etc,) create new forms of self understanding.
The implications that this new "media ecology" has are seemingly endless; students that are shy to participate in class can now participate through technology. A student that feels left out and not part of the "in crowd" at school, can feel a sense of purpose through their online community.
Social networking also gives students so much information at their fingertips, literally. Students can find out basically anything they want to know....without feeling embarrassed about asking.
Although it can breed a lot of hate, social networking stimulates so many positive things. Sometimes people do not feel comfortable expressing themselves (especially adolescents), so social networking provides a way to do so. Not only does social networking bring people together online, but it also can bring them together physically; how often have you been involved in a face to face conversation about a popular YouTube video? or a celebrity's tweet? or a friend's facebook status update? Although I use a social networking sight multiple times a day (facebook), I have never thought about its true social implications. Can anyone give an example of how social networking has helped them understand themselves better?

4 comments:

  1. Social networking has definitely helped me to understand what i consider to be important or interesting about my life. As well as, how i want others to perceive me in terms of my interest and my accomplishments. For this reason, i only post things that i think others would like to see or hear about or what i would like to see in other people's profile. For example, i hate when people only post facebook pictures of themselves either in a car or bathroom, how lame is that, i mean really do you have to have three albums only about you. If i don't like viewing this on somebody else's album or profile then i won't post it on my.

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  2. I think that social networking definitely helps me feel connected. I was in my home town for the entire summer and I was so grateful for Facebook because I was able to stay connected with my friends from UF and I enjoyed looking at people's photos from fun summer trips. I think Facebook really helps me feel connected but I think my GoodReads account has definitely helped me understand myself better. It's a social networking site for people who enjoy reading. I've been able to discuss books with people, participate in a book club with people all around the country, and post reviews. This has helped me get a better understanding of my interests and how the books I read reflect my personality.

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  3. I have to admit social networking has helped me understand myself better to a certain degree. I can look back at Livejournal posts and see how much I've grown or how ridiculous I'm being after a rant. And that what I was upset about was really pointless. I have also learned to have effective debates on Facebook. I knew I was opinionated, but usually I have just kept my mouth shut. Facebook statuses and notes have led me to leave comments, sometimes insighting a debate, something I typically get annoyed with too easily in real life to partake in.

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  4. I think through social networking has shaped who we become. What you post is a reflection of you, and what you dont post also reflects your ideals and morals. I think that I have found how much I have grown by seeing the history of my facebook alone! Also it has helped me feel connected to my friends, especially those who have moved away, or that are still in my hometown. It really is a reflection of who I am.

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