We are born with one connection, physically, to a brand new world. Once that connection is severed we begin the uncertain task of building and navigating a world of social connections. For some this can be a rapid and exciting process, for others a more gradual and cautious process. I tend to relate to the latter of these distinctions. Building this network gave me the opportunity to see how my connections are made up of “a number of organizational structures, such as groups, networks, and communities” (Veletsianos, 2016, p. 2), and that each of these are generally small and intimate connections. My map is largely comprised of my family, friends, work and open source connections. University is the newest branch, and I feel quite fortunate to add this amazing cohort to my connections.
Social media only makes up a small portion of my map, as I’m always conscious of the tradeoffs of our time and information using online platforms, and I strongly believe in the value of human connections in our increasingly digital world. However, Dron and Andreson (2014) argue that “beyond what is practical or possible in conventional human interaction, cyberspace supports dynamic collective knowledge generation” (p. 7). With this in mind, as I look at goals for my online presence in the future, it may be worth reassessing this branch of my network and which ways I’d like to see it grow.
In this network, I’ve represented individual people as well as categories of people in green, which make up the leaf-nodes of the tree. The branch nodes make up the organizations or concepts that tie these connections together. Be sure to click the button to see the full interactive view.
References
Dron, J, & Andreson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds. (pp. 35 -70; 93 – 235). Athabasca University Press.
Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital learning environments. In N. Rushby & D. Surry (Eds), Handbook of Learning Technologies (pp. 242-260). UK: John Wiley & Sons.