Raquel Racuero's video snagged my interest a few times. They addressed the degree to which individuals are involved in discussions on social media, such as Facebook. Discussing the prejudices involved in Brazil was certainly interesting too, and how traditional media is trying to keep up with the topics that are being discussed on social media. They even go into the consequences and effects of sharing personal information on social media. These are all topics that are extremely significant, not only in Brazil as they are a new democracy, but also to any other developed country with access to the Internet and social media.
Greg Tuke, brought up the first question after Racuero's presentation about the depth to which people are involved in debate or discussion online. This is also something that I have been curious about. Many times when I am on social media, the conversation around major topics seem lacking in "nutrients." People are quick to state their opinions about something but don't necessarily respond to what others are saying. It's more of a place to state concerns and opinions, but not so much a place to have a rich and dense conversation or debate on a topic. Many times, people will think they are debating, but if you were to take the conversation that is taking place it would sound like a bunch of segregated thoughts and opinions and won't seem to have much of a direction, and it can often times be repetitive with multiple people stating the same opinions. Hearing this section of the video made me think of a quote Stephen R. Covey that I recently read while on Facebook, which reads, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." This quote also seems true for things that are read on social media. We are more concerned with putting our on input on a topic, that we do not take the time to reflect and understand the other side of the debate or discussion. To make any sort of social interaction effective, we must have more in depth conversation. One of the issues brought up about debates on social media for Brazil, was the point made by Racuero that many people are hesitant to post comments on controversial topics for fear of being criticized. Which is somewhat different than something you may see in the United States. It seems that everyone is willing share their opinions on any topic even if they may receive criticism for it.
The other topic I found interesting was that of the prejudices that are now coming to light in Brazil due to the activity spike in social media. Again, as stated by Racuero, "I don't think social media is creating the problems, I think it is showing the problems." And I think this is an unbelievably true statement. If you are to watch any video on Facebook, and read the comments section. Everyone is posting opinions and even the silliest video can spark a debate surrounding a problem. Granted, those may not be valid debates, meaning they aren't exactly mainstream. But at the same time, it is addressed that the traditional media cannot keep up with the topics that are being discussed on social media. There appears to be such a great number of issues that are being brought to light through social media that traditional media is falling to the waste side due to the fact that they are unable to accurately portray each issue that is discussed on social media. They may be able to discuss the major, or "trending topics," but there are so many that they are unable to touch. My concern with this fact is that people may not think that their issue is being recognized and may feel certain prejudices against them because of that, and perhaps have the feeling that their issue is not important. There are pros and cons to being able to discuss issues on social media. A pro being that you are able to publish your issue; a con being that it may not be deemed a big enough issue to gain traditional media attention.
Lastly, the issue that I will always discuss when it comes up. The issue of privacy, and sharing too much information on social media. How do we make it clear that there are major consequences of sharing too much personal information on social media? Racuero mentioned the fact that her daughter's entire life is within the walls of social media. How can this possibly be a safe practice? So many people freely share information about their families, children, and activities. Racuero points out that there is good social media and there is also bad social media for lack of better terms. It is a simple point that she makes about good versus bad media, and there is a very fine line between them. I don't think there will ever be a way to keep social media a productive discussion space. And, I don't think that it is something that should be sought. Everyone has the right to share their opinion, but they will also face any risks or consequences that stem from sharing their opinion.
References:
Racuero, R. [Connected Learning]. (2014, June 17). Digital Youth, Social Movements, and Democracy in Brazil. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cYnoJ6Hjd4 and http://connectedlearning.tv/raquel-recuero-digital-youth-social-movements-and-democracy-brazil.
Kelsey, Raquel Recuero's discussion really interested me as well. She brought up a lot of points that felt accessible and relevant to me and my work with young people. I really resonated with your analysis of many online/social media discussion forums. As Recuero suggests, social media platforms expose us to many more diverse perspectives and approaches to topics, current events, and lenses through which to see the world. But that doesn't mean that the conversations and comments necessarily have "nutrients" as you so astutely point out. Social media sites like Facebook also give us the opportunity to follow or unfollow people - which can easily tempt us into curating our exposure, which complicates the scene, as well. For some time, I have observed that the perception of anonymity when engaging in online conversations encourages many people to communicate in more caustic ways than they would in face-to-face conversations. Something about not having to actually engage with other humans - seeing and feeling the emotional reactions of confrontations and/or attacks - seems to give license to inconsiderate communication.
ReplyDeleteI was also very interested in Raquel's discussion. She was passionate and knowledgeable about the topic of social media. When topics are being discussed through social media, it is very true that people tend to state opinions s opposed to responding to others. I think a lot of times our opinions take over and we miss the facts regarding the topic of discussion. But I also believe that people have the intent to debate but it gets away from them because their opinions over shadow the debate. "One of the issues brought up about debates on social media for Brazil, was the point made by Racuero that many people are hesitant to post comments on controversial topics for fear of being criticized." I feel like we see this situation everywhere, not just in social media. We hear all to often that people didn't stand up for someone who was in trouble, or voice their opinion about a topic, or state their beliefs for fear of being an outcast or segregated. That's why I really like the social media site Raquel discusses about the young man who created a site where people could express their thoughts and opinions without bias. Sure, sticking to the facts is important but it is equally important for young people to be able to express themselves without being criticized.
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