Being a Professional in Society Today
It is clear how much the society we live in is changing and adapting to the new technologies that are providing many benefits for loads around the world. Social media has been on the rise since the 1990s with the introduction of SixDegress.com allowing people to connect with family and friends. This networking service lasted for only four years (1997-2001) but it sparked the development of successful services we know today such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
I believe that social media is a very powerful tool that gives us the opportunity to enhance our creativity, share experiences and exchange information within the virtual community. It has become a major part of life and continues to do so as we move through the generations. Social networking sites dominate the communities we live in today and have become widely accessible to many worldwide.
Personal Versus Professional Presence on Social Media
Opportunities:
It is clear that social networking is not for everyone, however, I believe it shouldn’t be seen in a negative way as it is mostly portrayed these days.
Marrying your personal life to the professional side via social media allows people to gather a better understanding about who you are as a person and yet still express and show interesting articles that can relate to your profession. It also gives you the opportunity to form friendships and links that can be used to connect with not only the local but the global teaching community. I believe that is a fundamental part of the teaching profession: creating links.
It wasn’t that long ago that it was difficult to connect with people like we do now. When mobile phones were introduced it did help change the challenge and allowed you to connect with your friends more efficiently. The rise of social media, I believe, has changed the way we see friendship and the way in which we connect with people. It isn’t just about the “inner circle” as people would say, but it is about connecting globally with people that have similar interests as you and being able to form such friendships that can last a lifetime in really help with your professional development.
Challenges:
For me, it can be difficult to trust the information that appears and can make you more skeptical about what you are viewing. I also feel that some content is inappropriate but it seems easily accessible to the younger generations which is quite a worry.
A huge challenge of social media that many argue is privacy. Although there are ways that can change your settings on social networking sites, it is not always guaranteed that they will stay that way. Whether we like it or not, there are people out there who can find methods of obtaining information that we don’t want others to know about.
How will I frame social media within an educational setting?
I believe that social media is a very powerful tool and is something that will only continue to grow within our society. Therefore, I believe that social media is something that should be spoken about with a positive viewpoint but you should always keep make sure they are aware of the risks involved.
The advancement of new technologies and social networking services is contributing to the transformation of education and the way in which people perceive it. However, it is important that we are informed and aware of how such things are used in regards to our professional decisions.
Sometimes it can seem easier to separate your personal life from your professional life, creating new usernames that prevent children from being able to find you because lets face it, they know how to do that. Although I think it’s great to encourage children of the use of new technologies and social networking to a certain extent, thinking about your own perspectives is crucial. For me, keeping the two accounts separate seems easier and safer.
