Digital Wonderland.

Posted on December 17, 2014 by sowinz

As we marked a closure to ‘Living on the Web’, this is simply like a wonderland to me, I am impressed by the amount of digital content I learnt about. Considering myself as a Digital Resident, I was very much an ardent user on the Internet for mostly personal and social interactions. Fortunately, with the guide and development of this module, I understand that the Internet has more to offer, giving me an opportunity to develop my online portfolio for employability purposes in future.

Here are links to my online identities:

After this journey…. (To list a few)

Facebook

Facebook has been an active platform for me. From Topic 4, I understand the importance of privacy and potential social network consequences. I am more aware of the images, videos and status I’m posting. I cut down on personal post and share useful online tips or videos from bloggers and sites, and tend to tell myself to check as I type, this is also to ensure that I keep my profile professional and consistent throughout.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the most valuable things I have gained from this module. I do not own a LinkedIn account previously because I do not think there’s any use of it. Thanks to MANG2049 and many in-depth discussion on Topic 3, I started a LinkedIn account and understand that it is not only a platform to showcase my skills, experiences and etc, but also to extend my social network to professionals who are related to my industry and interest. I aim to increase my connections and have joined ‘Marketing Professionals Network’ and ‘Study Online Digital Marketing’ and build my connections as I move on to other modules.

Twitter

I had a Twitter account but was never active or a fan of tweeting. However, with the introduction of this module, I created a new account and tried to use it again. It is not easy to have followers but I believe its a pretty good accomplishment that I have 45 followers now. I followed The Straits Times, BBC Breaking News, Channel NewsAsia and many more to keep me updated of current affairs. It is actually pretty useful and informative!

Instagram

To conclude, there are so many things I enjoyed even though its for twelve days. My favourite part was moving out of my comfort zone and does things that I never thought I would. That is blogging! To me, I feel it’s a chore to think and update every now and then. After this module, I might want to blog to share my views and my accomplishments with others in my future career and business or even focusing on my interest. Prior to the module, it has influenced me to consider the Internet and our online engagement in a more subtle manner. We should be appreciative that we are granted accessibility to a device in the palm of our hands everywhere we go. Instead of consuming and gaining all the contents readily available, I hope I can approach the digital world in a more constructive manner and be pro-active in updating my all my digital portfolios every now and then. In the future endeavours, I hope to continue developing, looking for new, future online activities to be a part of, and utilizing these from the beginning.

P.S. ‘Winnie Soh’ may not appear right on top in Google, but I know I will get there someday..

*Last but not least, Thank You Lisa and Olja for the support and guidance! Keep in touch. <3*

Till next time!

5.0 My Last Reflection Summary: Utopian Dream or Unstoppable Force?

Posted on December 10, 2014 by sowinz

So….

Utopian Dream or Unstoppable Force?

This topic was rather new to me at first, getting to know that such free content and information online is known as ‘Open Access’.

Having read many blogs by my peers, it is rather obvious that many of us have the same view on free, open access to contents online. I would like to point out to Novina’s and Patricia’s post where they heavily emphasise on the monetary cost of paying online information. In Novina’s post, she believe that Open Access should be subsidised and I agree to her discussion totally. Firstly, it helps to reciprocate to the authors’ effort in providing such great information to the ‘world’. Secondly, students, researchers and educators get to improvise and work on new findings to keep the society going and sustain communication. I believe as long as institutions educate students on how to appropriate use and cite information from the web like what we are doing right now, the disadvantages can be overlooked and minimised.

On the other hand, I thought Patricia’s view was another alternative to manage Open Access, which is to only implement paywalls on certain content. High priced contents could probably be subsidized and used in institutional portals like Singapore Institute of Management and Harvard University. In a report by Sample, I. in 2012, he claims that Harvard no longer can afford journal publishers’ prices. This was in view with the boycott of Elsevier by more 10,000 institutions because of the high priced journals and access policies. Heather Joseph, executive director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition mentioned that Harvard’s new adoption is likely to encourage many other universities to keep their research freely and available. Afterall, it is Harvard we are talking about. People watch them.

Lastly, I am still in favour with Open Policy after doing a thorough research and reading many of my peers’ post. There is no need for articles to be hidden behind paywalls as long as creators and users are responsible and aware of their own actions. I feel that advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages in many ways especially to those developing countries.

We may be blessed by technology and free information to learn and grow, but NOT everyone is.

*I specifically like Aetiiqcaz’s and Corrine’s post with their customized slides and video 🙂

Cheerios.

REFERENCES:

The Gurdian, Sample, I., 2012. Harvard Universities says it can’t Afford Journal Publishers’ Prices. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/apr/24/harvard-university-journal-publishers-prices [Accessed on 10 December 2014]

Clark, L,. 2014. How ‘Google Science’ could transform academic publishing? [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-08/13/google-science-would-we-need-it [Accessed on 10 December 2014]

Commented On:

http://saradanlee.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/open-access-the-good-the-bad-and-everything-in-between/comment-page-1/#comment-25

Topic 5: Freely available content

5.0 Utopian Dream or Unstoppable Force?

Posted on December 9, 2014 by sowinz

(Photo Credit: Forbes)

It is well-known that the Internet has opened many possibilities to share information as well as opinions online. It t is a superb channel for the free distribution of information in thepublic domain- Open Access.

In today’s topic, we will primarily focus on Education sector because I presume different industry has significantly different advantages and disadvantages. Now.. Lets think about it, before the advancement of technology, traditional marketing tools such as Newspapers, Magazines and etc were PAID to access information but what is it different online? Why do we think that we can gain access to information for FREE?

In my opinion, I believe the Internet is like a barter trade where information is exchanged from one to another. On the other hand, newspaers and magazines is a ‘one-way traffic’ where people purchase and information is shared among that person only. UK Research Science mentioned that journals are planned to make free to all by the government with “real economic and social benefits” (Ghosh, 2012). However, this is in contrary to a study by Lepitak,S., 2013 which claims that 90% of the online content is to be paid for in the next three years.

And so the question is, Open Access: Utopian dream or unstoppable force?

Advantages

Increased Readership

Greater Visibility —- Greater Access for students and professors in developing academically

Exchange of Information

Allow information to be read and shared, especially new discoveries made by Scientists

(Photo Credit: The Potato)

Beneficial for Researchers in Developing Countries

Provide researchers in developing countries an opportunity to participate in International Research Community

Disadvantages:

Fear of misinterpretation of plagiarism

The risk of information and/or research being misused/ misinterpreted. Authors or producers will miss out recognition and exposure that they should deserve.

Publication Fees

Often the responsibility of the authors to pay for the cost of publication. It can discourage researchers from going open access.

Lose Credibility

If articles or studies are not approved by a third party, it will be seen as unreliable.

Personally, I am in favour of Open Access, because from my experiences, I hate the frustration of having to read an interesting and useful abstract but only to know that I am denied access unless I pay for the full essay. On other times, having to think about the high priced of such journals may be of no use to me was a bigger problem. Thus, this cause me to miss out on potential helpful articles. To my believe, I think that there should be a better implementation on this system and allow educators and students to gain access to researched information or insights at a reasonable price.

REFERENCES:

Lepitak, S., 2013. 90% of online content to be held behind paywalls in three years media company survey suggests. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/12/90-online-content-be-held-behind-paywalls-three-years-media-company-survey-suggests [Accessed on 9 December 2014]

edanz, 2013. Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Access. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.edanzediting.com/blog/advantages_and_disadvantages_open_access#.VIbj2tKUebO [Accessed on 9 December 2014]

Ghosh, P., 2012. UK Science to be freely Available. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-18860276 [Accessed on 9 December 2014]

Colberg, J., 2010. ‘Why Information Should Remain Free’. [ONLINE] Available at: http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/2010/01/why_information_should_remain_free/ [Accessed on 9 December 2014]

The University of Sheffield, 2012. Open Access- An Introduction. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/openaccess/index [Accessed on 9 December 2014]

4.0 A Reflection Summary: Ethical Issues raised by Business or Educational Use of Social Media

Posted on December 7, 2014 by sowinz

This discussion topic was rather eye-opening to me with many different posts from my peers from different perspective. Since I have shared my discussion on Business use, I would like to reflect about Educational use of social media issues.

I personally feel that all of the information shared among each other is enriching but I would like to further emphasize on Sylvia’s and Ian’s post where they mentioned about Cyber-Bullying. I came across this blog post by Schmid, D who works in the Identity Theft Protection, he mentioned about a new cyber phenomenon called Cyerbaiting which is closely related to Cyberbullying, the only difference is students “bully” their teachers via taunting and uploading videos onto their personal social media site which in turn humiliates their teachers. I felt that with the advancement of technology, the ability to upload and download information, videos, and images has become a risk to many innocent. In addition, Facebook privacy has been altered to allow users to view and share information not within Facebook but outside to all the websites that have alliances with Facebook and vice-versa. An example would be the Facebook ‘Like’ button (watch the video to find out more). This has made Cyberbullying even more frequent because of the ability of functions of social media.

However, like I mentioned in my comment on Sylvia’s post, such actions does not only lie in the students in an Educational Instituition. Teachers play a part in keeping their social profile to themselves if there are sensitive images, videos or posts.

So… How do we balance these harms and benefits, reducing the one and increasing the possibility of the other?

This question could probably be answered by reading Zoie’s post where she mentioned about sensitivity to cultures and values. I believe this has to play a part to play in creating a heated argument online or causing Cyberbullying (not only students to teachers) because everyone grow up in different background and knowledge. One may take it personally but some may not, and we have to respect it by being more cautious on the information we post.

In conclusion, there are just too many ethical issues on both Educational and Business use of social media. I believe all the risks are equally important and impactful. As for me, business ethics would probably play a particularly significant issue because of my future career (no matter which industry) and the upcoming internship in 6 months, which links me back to my discussion post about ‘Integrity Risk’.

REFERENCES:

American Express Open Forum. Ethics & Social Media: Where Should You Draw The Line? [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/ethics-and-social-media-where-should-you-draw-the-line/ [Accessed on 7 December 2014]

Schmid, D. 2012. Should Teachers be on Social Media Sites. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educational-issues/should-teachers-be-on-social-media-sites-and-other-ethical-questions/ [Accessed on 7 December 2014]

Smollin, M. 2011. Cyberbaiting: A Teen Trend that Humiliates Teachers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/12/07/cyberbaiting-teens-find-high-tech-ways-humiliate-teachers [Accessed on 7 December 2014]

COMMENTED ON:

Freedom of Speech, for worse?

Topic 4 – Are students appreciative of the social media as an important educational tool?

4.0 One Ethical Issues raised by Business Use of Social Media

Posted on December 5, 2014 by sowinz

(Photo Credit: Deloitte)

With technology these days, social media is an umbrella that is used to describe social interactions and brings many benefits to the user and global community. While its’ use may seem rather straightforward, there are many ethical challenges that need to be explored and discussed (shown in the graph above). In 2011, a DLA Piper Survey found social media is used for personal and work related activities by 95% of employees which leads to our discussion today of one of the many ethical issues raised by business use of social media.

The most prominent and impactful challenges is Integrity Risk. This was proven from an IBE (2011) survey of 7 companies with 2000 employees or more, 6 of 7 identified Integrity Risk as the main problem. Companies can be liable for material published by their employees in an irresponsible way on blogs and social networks either on behalf of the company or through their own personal account. A distinct and high-profiled example would be Nestlé. In March 2011, an employee who was managing the company’s Facebook Fanpage posted offensive comments in response to negative remarks by ‘fans’. This causes a huge violation to the company’s to their business principles and ethics. In addition, netizens joined in to specifically comment and criticize on the company.

However, employees who post negative comments about the company on their own personal social media platforms are even harder to control and contain. According to DLA Piper Survey, one-third of employers disciplined and eliminates employees for such inappropriate conduct. We can learn from Serco Group, a large UK-listed international services company, where they created an ‘internal Facebook’ account catered for staff to discuss work-related topics as a way to deal ‘Integrity Risk’.

In my opinion, I feel that this is particularly significant because it relates to me when I was working in Abu Dhabi. As a Marketing Executive, I had to deal with updates of the event, reply to comments and enquiries via Facebook posts which could actually spur customers or users to be unsatisfied with my replies. I cannot control their way of perception even if my intention was neutral and this could lead to criticism on the event social site. I had to be really careful and polite with my words in order not to offend them.

“While the decision to post videos, pictures, thoughts, experiences and observations to social networking sites is personal, a single act can create far-reaching ethical consequences for individuals as well as organisations.”- Allen, S.l., 2009

REFERENCES:

DLA Piper, 2011. Shifting Landscapes- The Online Challenge to Traditional Business Models. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dlapipershiftinglandscapes.com/export/sites/shifting-landscapes/downloads/Shifting_Landscapes_-_Social_Media.pdf [Accessed on 5 December 2014]

Nestle, 2007. Code of Business Conduct. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/investors/corporate-governance/codeofbusinessconduct [Accessed on 5 December 2014]

Deloitte, 2009. Social Networking & Reputational Risk in the Workplace. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Colombia/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_220509.pdf [Accessed on 5 December 2014]

Institute of Business Ethics, 2011. Business Ethics Briefing. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ibe.org.uk/userassets/briefings/ibe_briefing_22_the_ethical_challenges_of_social_media.pdf [Accessed on 5 December 2014]

3.0 A Reflection Summary: Building Your Professional Digital Profile

Posted on December 4, 2014 by sowinz

This topic has got me thinking on my feet on how to make my digital profile better and more attractive for employers. It has spurred me to think further on how to market myself with “authenticity”.

A big take away from this topic is the use of a LinkedIn account. I personally do not own a LinkedIn because I feel that I do not need it much now and its a hassle to create a profile. But after I read Zoie’s and Patricia’s post, I realised a ‘professional network’ account is more than what I thought it was. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is like a qualified resume and more formal than having a Facebook. It is essential to own a LinkedIn other than having just Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and etc as such sites are more for recreation purposes.

Simon’s discussion on this topic was interesting where he used “Googling Thyself” as a metaphor to illustrate the need to know who we are. I felt that this was an important point because given a stranger (your employers), he/she would want to know about you. However, if as a person you cannot define who you are then a professional digital profile wouldn’t make sense anymore.

Reading my peers’ work and their chain of thoughts actually brings me to think more, like the comment i made on Sara’s link, is there a better way to build our personal brand online in future, with consideration of the disadvantages that we have. Invasion of privacy which encourages hacking because of the valuable data we published, Identity fraud and many other risks exposed as mentioned in Topic 2. Will employers move back to the tradition of a typed resume because of the many incidents that happen to the public?

All in all, with the many many ways and reasons that was mentioned in the blog posts, I feel that it is crucial to have an up-to-date professional digital profile to keep up and get in tuned with the working world. But, beware and cautious of the content posted because you never know what repercussions there are.

REFERENCES:

2013. Disadvantages of Digital Identity. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/Digital-identity/disadvantages-of-digital-identity%5BAccessed on 4 December 2014]

COMMENTED ON:

http://saradanlee.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/personal-branding-your-career-insurance/

Topic 3: Ways in which an authentic online professional profile can be developed

3.0 Building your Professional Digital Profile

Posted on December 3, 2014 by sowinz

(photo credit: Xiaxue)

I’m sure many of you recognise her. If you don’t, she is Southeast Asia most prominent blogger, Wendy Cheng (Xiaxue- it means SNOWING) with over 500K followers on Instagram and more than 300K ‘Likes’ on Facebook. Lets take her as an example for today’s topic on ‘Building Our Professional Digital Profile’. As a blogger, her professionalism is to create hype and buzz with interesting contents to invite more readers and clientele. Below are her social media platforms:

Blog:

YouTube Channel

ClickNetworkTV- an online TV network

Facebook & Instagram

After exploring her Social Media sites and her progress as a renowned blogger. There are some learning points to take away..

With relations to the set question, “authentic” means being real and honest. Xiaxue has proven this point, she uses profanity in her posts and her success has been attributed to her provocative writing style. She does not put on a fake mask just because she blogs and afraid of criticism. She writes her post with sincere opinions and comments about what she thinks and I believe is the reason why she famous today… Similarly, employers would not hire someone who portrays as someone whom they are not during an interview. Research by Cross-Tab Marketing has shown that 75% of HR departments worldwide are required to screen job candidates online. This can be inferred that a written Curriculum Vitae and Resume is not adequate for organisations.

Secondly, I feel it’s important to captivate your audience or in Xiaxue’s case, clientele, she needs to write robust headlines, common topics among youths or interesting news of herself such as going through plastic surgeries and transformation. According to a survey she conducted, which attracted 6000 responses; her readers are mainly Singaporean, female, young adults interested in fashion and “looking for an alternative voice”. On the other hand, job-lookers should create an open summary about themselves on social media and institutional platforms like LinkedIn. This way it allows employers to know more about you in a gist…

Lastly, it is always important to keep it consistent (you never know what impression you might give). Back to Xiaxue, her social media platforms are consistent in a way its ‘pink’ and ‘girly-like’, her name is found on every platform and readers would know about her when ‘Xiaxue’ is mentioned. It acts as an image or branding of her. In our case, we should always keep our digital profile consistent and simple, by being straightforward and having same profile picture on LinkedIn, Facebook and etc. By being consistent, it also relates to my first point of knowing who you are (watch the video below to find out more).

With the advancement in technology, it is crucial that everyone should have at least one social media account that acts like a Resume. I believe that a professional digital profile entices more to employers. It should always be up to date and creative to give a deep impression about who you are and what you can offer the company with your expertise.

TO SURVIVE, BE SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY!

REFERENCES:

Xiaxue. 2003. [ONLINE] Available at: http://xiaxue.blogspot.sg/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00%2B08:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00%2B08:00&max-results=12 [Accessed on 3 December 2014]

“Building your online professional profile” [ONLINE] Available at: https://connect.soton.ac.uk/p32693389/ [Accessed on 3 December 2014]

Doyle, A. Online Profiles for Job Searching. [ONLINE] Available at: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/professionalbranding/a/profiles.htm [Accessed on 3 December 2014]

2.0 A Reflection Summary : One or more Online Identities?

Posted on December 2, 2014 by sowinz

I have enjoyed reading most of my peers’ blog post and it somehow changes my perception at the beginning…

From Evan’s post, he mentioned about security issues which brings me back to the question I posted for him. Does security question helps in online verification? According to a report by Rosen, R.J., 2012, Security Questions were ‘The Biggest Joke’ in Online Identity Verification. Well… Apple was the Joke. They disregarded company measures and does not treat security questions seriously which in turn, causing chain of hacks to Mat Honan and he was digitally destroyed. (Watch the video above about Mat Honan) Now… What’s the take here? Security questions, act as a back-up password, they aren’t the lock to our personal information and profile online. It does not lie in you but others who mend the site. Thus, this further proves Evan point on “…almost impossible to completely remove information in the cyberspace.”

The other post which I find it quite interesting was Corrine’s. I like her video as it gives an exact illustration of an unpleasant experience via online transaction. It reminded me of a scam that happened to my friend a month ago. She ordered a pair of shoes online that was reasonably priced. However, few days later, she received a letter informing her that customs did not clear the goods and he was unable to ship over (by the way it was handwritten and not a letter from the Immigration Custom). This was just a mild scam and with relation to Corrine’s post, online fraud has been increasing over the years. Thus, it does not really matter if one or multiple because at the end of the day, hackers and scammers are individuals whom we cannot stop or find.

In conclusion, I feel that it doesn’t really matter who we are or what we are, everyone is unique and we should be proud of ourselves. It is not about having one or more identities online but it boils down to how you manage your content on social media sites and what impression you would like to portray as a complete self. It is about weighing the pros and cons, be aware of your transactions online . Being wild and free, does not mean I’m irresponsible at work but it shows I’m being true and hold authenticity when I interact online. That is what I believe in…

REFERENCES:

Rosen, J.R. 2012. Security Questions: The Biggest Joke in Online Identity Verification. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/security-questions-the-biggest-joke-in-online-identity-verification/260835/ [Accessed on 2 December 2014]

COMMENTED ON:

https://evantangs.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/how-the-big-bad-wolf-targets-the-modern-red-riding-hood/#comments

http://yjangie.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/is-your-digital-footprint-within-your-control/

2.0 One or More Online Identities?

Posted on December 1, 2014 by sowinz

“Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.” (Zuckerberg, 2010)

Wow. And I thought this was one of the craziest thing I read.

Digital Identity is how people choose to represent themselves in the digital space. It is like a mirror-image of you in the virtual world, like a digital mirror. It is not totally ‘you’, but it is ‘you’.

When talking about anything online, we leave behind digital footprints and build up overtime causing implications that are profound. Multiple identities online are created because they believe that professional work and personal life should not have any direct link. I believe this applies mostly for the older generations because this is what my parents are. They are aware of the impression that is portrayed, abiding to the old traditions of work ethics and professionalism.

It is a different story when it comes to teens and young adults of our age. We do not believe in multiple identities and find it a chore to maintain; attending two Facebook accounts is just a complete turnoff. Our digital identity somewhat merge with our real-world identity in most cases. According to Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, and Richard Allan, its director of policy in Europe, a critical mass of people only want online interactions supported by “authentic” identity. I agree with that statement, no one will want to interact with someone who has a fake identification. Having multiple identities makes it extremely difficult to be a complete person when offline, because I need to repeatedly remind myself who am I and the right image I should portray.

So what happens when your personal history and online identity collides and you only have one identity? What if you’re a criminal conviction, impersonated by someone else or etc? The incident that happened in Singapore at an IT Shopping Mall a month ago was an example; Jover Chew, owner of a mobile shop became notoriety popular overnight when he allegedly scammed his customers, has set the Internet abuzz. Netizens and online vigilantism have resorted to exposing Chew’s personal details including his wife’s, crowded the online forums and Facebook Page of SMRT Ltd (Feedback), a satirical group. This was a huge talking point in Singapore and ruined Chew’s image online. From this, we could see how detrimental it is if online identity is tarnished.

The list could go on and on… I believe change is not so much about our behaviours or our technology but, our norms: how we operate as a society and interact with each other. It is our responsibility to manage our identity online. In conclusion, I believe these are new “skills” for everyone just like how everyone is learning something new everyday.

(Image by Laz Herrada)

REFERENCES:

Masters, A. 2011. Identity on the Internet: The pros and cons of anonymity. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/09/19/identity-on-the-internet-the-pros-and-cons-of-anonymity/ [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

Jarvis, J. 2011. One identity of more? [ONLINE] Available at: http://buzzmachine.com/2011/03/08/one-identity-or-more/ [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

Krotosksi, A. 2012. Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important? [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

Zimmer, M. 2010. Facebook’s Zuckerberg: “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.michaelzimmer.org/2010/05/14/facebooks-zuckerberg-having-two-identities-for-yourself-is-an-example-of-a-lack-of-integrity/ [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

Chew, H.M. 2014. Netizens expose details of Sim Lim Square mobile shop owner who bullied Vietnamese tourist. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/netizens-expose-details-sim-lim-square-mobile-shop-owner#sthash.s8YRQKh3.dpuf [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

King’s College London. 2010. Rhizome Digital Identity Matters. [ONLINE] Available at: http://digitaldisruptions.org/rhizome/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rhiz08_DigitalIdentityMatters.pdf [Accessed on 1 December 2014]

1.0 A Reflection Summary : Digital Visitors VS Residents

Posted on November 28, 2014 by sowinz

Given a topic that I have no clue at all, the terms ‘Native’ and ‘Immigrants’, ‘Visitors’ and ‘Residents’ sounded real fascinating to me. How can one apply such adjectives onto a digital world? With much research and readings done online, I came to realize that the development of Prensky’s typology by White makes more sense and is not skewed towards being biased. White suggested that it was a continuum spectrum and users’ behaviour online depends on different situations, context and goals. This I had to agree with. It brings me back to understanding ‘Digital Literacy’ and how the society engages with the world via the presence and usage of the Internet.

The chance to read and see how my peers handle this new ‘foreign’ idea and have their take on giving their own thoughts and experiences was indeed amazing. It made me realize a different perspective that I never thought of at the beginning.

I like the idea of Ebra’s perception, thinking a little deeper and giving probable suggestions for the result of the different term – Resident and Visitor. He ended his post by mentioning a possible outcome of why we are classified under one of the category, which I find it pretty interesting – Is it because of awareness and comfortability? Why not?! Adding on to the comment box on Ebra’s post, I found out from my research that the rapid pace of development and the manner in which young people have responded to the opportunities available to them continue to challenge the safeguarding process (Atkinson & Newton, March 2010). I believe it is the advancement in technology that probably influence them to be unaware, and the intriguing bundles of information and websites online causes them to overlook on the risk that they may have. In addition, 30% of 7-12 year old and 11% of 13-16 year old say that no one has spoken to them about staying safe online (Ofcom, March 2009). I believe this can be one of the reasons to low awareness in teens these days. And I personally believe ‘Visitors’ choose to stay lesser online because they know the risk, they want privacy and they are able to evaluate, seive and manage the information provided.

Yi Ming’s post was well-balanced given the two different perspective that he mentioned and how one is flawed compared to the other. However, like how I have commented in his post, I find that acquiring technology is not an interest-based skill, it is a subconscious knowledge that we take on when we engage in digital world and sometimes we find a need to have such skills in order to accomplish work or recreation purposes. For instance, yes, we can be interested to find out whats the latest social media platforms BUT learning how to use it, is a natural instinct. Once you have it, you will know. I would really like to hear what are your views on this if you have any.

I also looked at Evan’s blog and find it amazing that he came up with his own mapping based on his own experiences and I agree with his thoughts by saying that there are certain unclear distinctions with relations to his engagement and actions online. Just like I do.

All in all, I do enjoy this topic and it allows me to understand the digital world in a different perspective at a whole new level. This understanding could be an aid to me as a learner now, and putting it in practice to understand people’s usage/ behaviour on Internet and their presence online if I were to work in a Digital Market Research firm. As a next step, I hope this could help me in giving me a direction to developing a professional digital profile and at the end of this module, be able to see an improvement in my literacy rate.

Cheers.

REFERENCES:

Safe Network. 2011. Be aware of the potential online risks to children and young people. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/help_and_advice/Pages/potential_online_risks.aspx [Accessed 28 November 2014]

COMMENTED:

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