Creating my digital use map as it relates to the visitor-resident typology was a very interesting process for me, as it became clear that I am more of a visitor on the visitor-resident spectrum. My process for creating this map was to first go with my gut feeling and quickly draw on the graph where I thought my digital use belonged. From this method, my presence online was closer to being a resident, though not all the way there on the spectrum. Then I re-read the definitions of ‘visitor’ and ‘resident’ and further reflected on how I used each application. It turns out “visitors…select an appropriate tool which they use to attain their goal. Task over, the tool is returned” (White & Le Cornu, 2011) is a definition that resonated with me, regarding my use of the internet.

I consume a great deal of information on many social media sites and read a wide range of articles from several sites, but I rarely contribute to the narrative online, choosing to be an observer. I realize I use this information distinctly in the physical world. I refer to what I read or see on social media or the internet at large and add my own thoughts, comments and interpretation to the person I am speaking with. I use these online tools daily. Accordingly, I feel as though I use them deeply but in fact, they are tools I use to access specific information, but then I simply close them.

An interesting aside is that this hasn’t always been my profile. I ran an Instagram account with more than a thousand followers, and a Twitter account with a few hundred followers. They were based on pop culture, a mix of current tv, memes, sports, art, gifs etc., however, I used it anonymously. The accounts were time consuming and I decided to delete them. I feel that there is certainly an interesting study about digital presence and personas in there somewhere for me to further explore!

Reference

White, D. S., & LeCornu, A. (2011). Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Retrieved from https://firstmonday.org/article/view/3171/3049#author