Bits & Pieces

It is our second week in the semester and I am still trying to figure out what it means to be present and active in the Web 2.0 realm. As Dr. Dennen stated in her feedback - it "isn't about being the most active person, but rather about exploring what it means to be active." I read this and wondered what does it indeed mean to be active? Am I "active" when reading my classmates' blog posts and discussions. This week has been a pretty long one and I haven't really been active. By that, I mean I didn't have much interaction until today, Sunday. But what does being active mean? Posting every other day? Interacting and commenting on others' posts?  I have made a Blogger and Twitter account so far. I don't post regularly but I think I'll find my rhythm soon. I don't know about making an Instagram yet! I deleted the app from my phone (not my account) about a year ago and it has been great! But I sometimes feel like I am missing out on certa...

My mom (right ) with my grandmother (center), her twin/my aunt (left), and her brother/my uncle (in the back) in Costa Rica. While reading this week's chapters, mainly chapter six, discussed in my previous post, I couldn't help but think about my mom and her family and how ICTs have helped her and us (her kids) remain "networked" with her family in Costa Rica.  My parents are both immigrants. My dad was born in Nicaragua, and my mom was born in Costa Rica. My parents got married in Costa Rica and lived there for a bit. Around 1990, they decided to come to the United States, where some of my dad's relatives were already living. I was born shortly after. Due to many complications, my mom has never had the opportunity to travel back to her home country. It has been as old as I am, 31 years, since my mom saw her mom and siblings in person. Growing up, I saw how ICTs and their advances brought my mom closer to her family, although they were countries apart. My mom, gra...

"The networks of relationships we form and depend on are our modern-day villages, but they reach well beyond city limits." (Rainie & Wellman, 2013, p. 147) The Nuclear Family Source: Nuclear Family and Modern Family, 50sGeneration The Modern Family source:   How has the Idea of “Family” Changed on Television since World War II? The Artifice Before diving into the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the social, cultural, and technological influences on the Northern American family, chapter six of Networked: The New Social Operating System first begins with the "nuclear family." I recollect that the "nuclear family" was the traditional goal/American dream that everyone pursued.  Interestingly, the term nuclear had nothing to do with the nuclear war but with the noun nucleus - the core of something.  "A nuclear family, elementary family, atomic family, cereal-packet family or conjugal family is a family group consis...

Reading my classmates' and Dr. Dennen's posts have been great! This week has so many different experiences, perceptions, and thoughts about the same topics. What stood out to me the most was Dr. Dennen's reminder that "it's ok" to feel the way we do about specific social media platforms, discomfort, etc. I must remind myself that "new social media me" can strictly use all the platforms to complete this course's assignments, keep them to continue growing my online networks and communities, or even improve my writing skills. It's okay to go with whatever adventure you choose or to change the route at a later point. It's okay to keep a professional identity on social media or share bits and pieces of your personal life. What's important is to keep an open mind and be a lifelong learner. As someone that prefers F2F learning environments, I appreciate the opportunity to learn and engage with new topics online. I look forward to all the lea...

One of the wonderings that arose for me this week came from Dr. Dennen's topic in our weekly discussion on communities and networks - how would you define and differentiate them. In my thinking of what a community was, I thought about the role of the person partaking in a community, etc. That led me to think about the role of a lurker in online communities. I have considered myself a lurker for the past couple of years to remain private, but also because I sometimes don't have the confidence to post or engage in conversations. However, I consider myself a part of "online communities" where I am just absorbing the knowledge shared by others. So I wonder...can lurkers be considered part of the community? Probably not, depending on the expectations set by a specific online community.  Anyways, I was reminded of an article I skimmed some time ago about the negative consequences that lurking may have. I am trying to remember the article, but it was similar to this article ...

Summer semester began this past Monday, and I am currently taking EME6414 Web 2.0 Learning course. I am very excited about this course since it was highly recommended by classmates and a professor. So far, the course has presented interesting topics, conversations, and questions. Many topics and conversations have led me to reflect on what social media meant to me in my younger self and what it means to me now, in my older self.  I recall having multiple blogs, through Blogger, in my early 20's and sharing my thoughts and feelings on social media websites (e.g., Facebook and Instagram). Back then I felt more empowered and free to do so. My views on social media have shifted over the years. I went from openly sharing bits and pieces of my life to keeping a more private image. I changed my social media names so I wouldn't be easily searched up and then I just stopped posting overall. Now, because of my different jobs and the roles in entail (very political), I stay away from soci...