Professionally speaking, it’s been a very emotional time for me the last little while. This is one of the reasons why I haven’t been participating much in the ongoing conversation about educational technology, and in some regards have dropped off the virtual face of the mediascape. Things have been interesting; they’ve been frustrating, stressful and disheartening – in the way change and the periods that precede it often are.
So I’ve been tapped. Nothing to say – or at least nothing productive to say.
Yet amidst all this anarchy and chaos I’ve been reminded time and time again how valuable and indeed critical networks are to the nurturing of our lives, the empowering of our learning, and in times like this, even the preservation of our sanity.
People have instilled hope and optimism in me who I have never met in person; never had a phone call with or a coffee with. People thousands of miles away, in different countries and different time zones – and yes, people I associate with in person on a regular basis as well.
They’ve helped lift my spirits and give me something to smile about; shown me that my angsty, doomy and gloomy perspective was just that, a perspective – that perspectives can change, that they’re temporary, and more often than not, that they’re not indicative of the complex realities of life and that there are, in fact, other ways of seeing, believing and understanding.
They’ve helped me prepare for change, to welcome it, to embrace it, and indeed to seek it out. It’s made a world of difference and I’m grateful to all who have checked in to see how I’ve been and what I’ve been up to.
It’s been rough, but I’m getting better; thanks in no small way to people in my network – some of whom I’ve never laid eyes on before.
So now more than ever, it’s clear to me that digital, online networks in a very real and meaningful way, connect people, and build relationships – the exact same kinds of which we see in the flesh.
Hi…I’m doing CCK09. It’s been a really positive experience. I’ve taken a very long time to feel comfortable with engaging in Social Media. I’ve reached the stage where I can now. I’ve been able to have a lot more freedom in this open-source CCK09 course – as opposed to having to think about formal university course restrictions, pressures and focus on grades etc. Next year I’m going back to university (I’ve been having a break from it) but I feel I’ve learnt a lot more about the things I needed to learn concerning e-Learning/online learning here in CCK09. It’s been a really valuable experience for me. I think it’s absolutely fine to take the time one needs to engage with Social Media too.
Mike, I have no quarrel at all with the thrust of your piece here, and am delighted to hear that you’re feeling more comfortable/optimistic. But I wonder if it’s right that relationships established and developed primarily or entirely via social media are “the exact same kinds” as relationships not mediated the same way. I sense that they are different – not better or worse – but haven’t yet tied it down. Perhaps there is a greater range of possibility of engagement via social media – one can manage the degree and type of relationship more readily. Or perhaps ascriptive characteristics matter less and language matters more. I don’t know. I just don’t feel confident that they are exactly the same. Would love to hear your thoughts in due course.
@Ed Webb: You’re quite right Ed, and thanks for pointing that out. The relationships aren’t the same. What I perhaps should have said is that there not less significant.
I guess it’s relevant to bring up Michael Wesche here, when he said “Media isn’t content, it’s more than means of communicating. When Media change, human relationships change.”
I don’t think he’s saying one form of media is better or worse than another (and here I’m considering face-to-face interaction as a form of media), but rather their characteristics appeal to, or target different aspects of ourselves.
For instance, visual imagery can be deeply emotive or carry broad connotations or inferences in ways that text cannot. That’s not to say that text can’t be deeply emotive, but rather that it does it in a different way.
Likewise asynchronous interaction, in the ways that much of online discourse is, is a very different dynamic to the immediacy of face-to-face discussion. So I think naturally the mindframe we inhabit when we communicate through each of these mediums is going to be different.
For me at least I’m a quite different person communicating online than I am in public. Particularly in text (e.g. blog posts, emails, Twitter updates) I’m far more confident and in some cases can be far more assertive than I am in public, where I am fairly reserved and less likely to be in the centre of a discussion (more of a listener).
So the “Mike” who blogs is in some ways a different “Mike” than the one who goes to lunch with colleagues during the day. Even if the topics might be exactly the same, the way I participate in them, and the way I interact with my colleagues is not necessarily the same as if the same conversation occurred online. Again, not better or worse; just different.
Perhaps strangely, online interaction appeals to me as much as it does because I don’t feel as personally inhibited or insecure in expressing my beliefs or ideas as I do in face-to-face settings. I’ve always preferred to explore ideas on paper in my own time, and it’s only after I’ve come to firm conclusions about what I think, feel, or believe that I’m confident enough to articulate them to others (perhaps not even then). Contrastingly, I’m a horrible brainstormer and terrible in group discussion.
So for me at least the asynchronous nature of the web has been extraordinarily valuable and indeed has facilitated the development of relationships that might not have emerged under different circumstances. That’s not to say the friendships wouldn’t have happened, just that they would have been different.
@Maijann: It took me a while to acclimate to social media as well. I think this is a natural progression though really. In the early stages we are unfamiliar with most aspects of online interaction – the technology, the people, and the culture. So it’s only after time that we begin to develop our own sense of self online, and identify people with whom we share similarities and begin to establish connections.
That certainly doesn’t happen over night, which I think can be fairly frustrating. The early days of blogging are testimony to that I think, and understandably there are days when we completely question our motives for continuing. E.g. “Why blog if no one is reading me?”
I can wholeheartedly say, as I think I’ve articulated here, that it is worth it in the end. If you stick around and participate for long enough you’ll start to experience the “social” side of social media and it will become a vehicle to connecting with others, rather than a space you go to.
Likewise with the implications for open online courses like CCK09. I could write reams about the affect it’s had on my outlook on learning and online learning – but for now I’m late for work and have to dash
Welcome and nice to meet you!
Personal learning networks bring positive attention, useful information and only happen when you choose to go online and participate. Real life relationships are much more intrusive and demanding and inspire a much broader and deeper range of emotions. If the purpose of life is to lead one to sainthood, that can only happen through the rigors of real life relationships – in the home, in the work place, in the community. It’s the difference between going to a wine tasting event and preparing a daily nutritious supper – one has short-term, temporary rewards and the other is an essential building block for a healthy life.