https://embed.kumu.io/be82bb8c78640e2d16a949353dfcd6ee
Reflecting on my Visual Network Map
When I removed myself from platforms like Instagram and Facebook, it felt like my network had collapsed. I find it very interesting how quickly those connections that I built throughout the years became in a sense non-existent once I removed myself. It was stated, “people and their interests in networks provide opportunities for the emergence of new friendships…” (Dron & Anderson, 2014, Chapter 5). This really got my attention, as it’s surprising how in many situations, once you remove yourself from social media, you remove yourself from many of the connections you made as well. Many of what I thought to be friendships, only carried its value on social media and not in face-to-face interactions anymore. With all of this being said, mapping out my visual network showed that the vast majority of my networks comprise of either those I’ve made connections with through either the education or the media sector.
As a Professor in Television and Film Production at Humber College, I believe it’s essential for me to stay connected with faculty and students, as well as those within the media industry. Blackboard is the learning management system we use at Humber College and is the way I stay connected to my current students online. Networking on LinkedIn with others tied into media, keeps me up-to-date with the latest trends and makes me more valuable to my students. It allows my students’ to see who is in my “circle” in regards to media, and provides new connections available to them, especially when they’re trying to get that initial opportunity in the industry.
Looking at my map, I can really appreciate how everything is connected through LinkedIn. Being a professional in the media industry while teaching my trade, has lead me to have a very diverse network. The authors of Teaching Crowds (2014) explain, “for a learner in a network, there is typically greater value to be found in diverse networks than in those that are self-similar” (Dron & Anderson, 2014, Chapter 5). Thus, this has reminded me that I should take advantage of the opportunity to learn from the various talents I’m connected to on LinkedIn.
References
Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds. Athabasca University Press. https://read.aupress.ca/read/teaching-crowds/section/d826240c-e4fd-4e4b-bfee-f2cd54259850
May 5, 2022 at 7:08 pm
I loved your graphic design of your network map. I like how it shows how individual networks connect to other networks. I like that idea. I noticed you mentioned Facebook and Instagram and how once you removed yourself from those networks your lost those connections. I also made a similar choice to leave Facebook many years ago, but because of that decision I now miss out on events because the organizers use Facebook. I am willing to make that sacrifice, but it is a downside from deciding not to use these still popular and widely used social media networks. My question is in your industry of TV producton, do you find your colleagues or industry pros use Facebook still as a network place or have people in your field moved on to other networks such as LinkedIn?
May 6, 2022 at 3:02 am
Hi Michael,
Thank you for checking out my visual network map. I can totally resonate with the feeling of missing out on events but I wouldn’t change my approach. I feel like using solely LinkedIn, in some sense, protects my mental health as it only focus’ on my professional networks. Majority of my colleagues are on all of the popular networking platforms, especially Facebook. I am not too sure how they use the platform, whether being a professional or personal network but LinkedIn is definitely the dominant platform for the media sector.
May 8, 2022 at 10:42 am
Thanks so much, Giulia, for sharing your insights on your network. It’s definitely a big decision to remove yourself from Facebook and Instagram, but I can certainly respect your motivation. The identities that people present online, often through not fault of their own, are such inaccurate representations of who they are… and we’re left comparing ourselves against those incomplete and deceptive representations. It’s definitely not a healthy environment.
I find LInkedIn to be a more positive digital space. Most content I’ve come across looks to inspire or encourage, which is really nice. I don’t remember ever walking away from an interaction on LinkedIn feeling more poorly than when I began… though I can’t say the same for other platforms.
Have you found your network has led to positive outcomes for your students?
May 9, 2022 at 12:24 pm
Hi Chris, thank you for your comments! Comparing myself to others was certainly what did it for me. LinkedIn is a great platform and I’m happy that part of my DIDP plan is to be more active on it. My students have definitely benefited through the many connections they have made through my network.
May 9, 2022 at 7:41 am
Really interesting map, Giulia!
Your approach of mapping out the interconnectedness of your networks (a network of networks, if you will) is a very meta-analytical way of considering your connections. It’s also fascinating to see how networks of individuals are often collected/connected and mediated by organizations (RRU, Humber) or systems (LinkedIn, Twitter, Blackboard).
I am often hesitant to connect my students to my network(s) until they are closer to graduation. My concern is that others may infer my connection as an “endorsement” of sorts, but then I feel that I become a gatekeeper to my own network. Should our networks be open or should we take a more guarded approach?
I think some of my caution came as a result of networks being scraped for information and my own network being exploited for campaigns of various kinds. There seem to be greater safeguards in place against that sort of thing on LinkedIn and Facebook, but there are still risks.
I have contemplated many times about removing myself from Facebook. I used to have a business that did a lot of social media marketing, and I think a lot of those secondary business connections spilled over into my personal network. I do still see the value of maintaining some of those connections, but do wonder about others. For those actual friendships you maintained (or supported) through social media, how have you adjusted since removing yourself from Facebook and Instagram? Have you pivoted to other communication channels to maintain contact? I’ve seriously considered setting up a Discord server for my friends. ?
May 9, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Thank you Darren! With the few friends that I have kept since leaving those social media platforms, we typically use text or Whatsapp to communicate. However, I still feel like I miss out on a lot from not having social media.