Johnnie Allen Jr. —It's More Than Just a Name It Is My Identity
For so long, I have wondered why I have never fully adopted or embraced a pseudonym on the social media sites I engage. For example, when we were tasked with developing our blogger sites for class, I started debating whether I would be displayed as myself. I could not overcome the challenge of needing to be creative if I chose the pseudonym route, so I settled on just identifying as myself because that felt easier. Another reason I have not embraced a pseudonym because I never felt the "need" to engage as someone else. After all, I thought I was just myself. Regardless of the spaces I enter, this has come with various challenges, mainly because not all spaces support individuals being their authentic selves. Web 2.0 and digital media sites serve multiple purposes, allowing individuals to escape reality and live in this fully virtual space with an alter ego. It provides people with community, knowledge, resources, and so forth. Dr. Vanessa Dennen's (2009) article regarding identity issues that can occur in blogger spaces provided me with some informative insights as I thought more about how I am showing up in our class #EME 6414 blogger site and on the digital sites for class. Therefore, why should anyone follow socially constructed beliefs about how to BE in their virtual space and reality? Whether they choose a pseudonym, their name, or a nickname, it should be fully up to the individual to make that decision, as their voice is being shared. Dennen (2009) states, "although a few bloggers naively hold the belief that pseudonyms will keep them from being identifiable when they begin blogging, they rapidly learn otherwise" (p.31). My goal throughout this summer term is to be me and allow my individual voice to be shared fully in my blogger post. As I develop my blogger identity, I want to figure out how to blog freely while staying true to who I am, not having to do this behind the constraints of a pseudonym based on how others feel I should be as a professional pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education, etc.
When I think about my name Johnnie Allen Jr., it has become attached to who I am and ingrained in my identity. Isn't that the case for all our names? My answer would be yes, and I have grown to know that my name for me means so much more than just a name. Johnnie Allen Jr. has become a part of my "brand" and identity, and with this brand, I hope it is seen as genuine, authentic, real, transparent, graceful, humble, loving, and so much more. I continuously learn about my identity in social, academic, and now blog-based communities.
How are you constructing your blogger identity? Is it something you are content with, or is it something you are doing because it seems like the right thing? Everyone should be able to be themselves in virtual and non-virtual spaces and not allow their individual opinions to be reflective of their job/institution, for example. Some people just want to post and share their thoughts that are in their heads and to do so in a completely open and free platform. Choosing to share as little or as much as they'd prefer.
Mr. Johnnie Allen Jr.! GREAT POST! Thank you so much for talking about your identity and brand as it relates to your name. The name is the doorway that leads to the heart and wow do I feel your heart and soul in this post here. Your name also means so much, it means turmoil and traction along with resilience and empowerment. We have had discussions in the past of names and their associated pronunciations and how the correct pronunciation is just as important as the name itself. As I reflect on your question of my blogger identity, I certainly think about the fact that my name is signed on each of those posts. I love the opportunity to take and learn from the readings and apply to our current world through the blogs. I am proud of my blogs and my name attached to it. Thank you for expressing your authentic thoughts on this topic (soon to be) Dr. Allen!
Hi Ravi! Thank you, friend! I truly appreciate it and your support along this journey. Our name's are so important and it is only right that we fully embrace them! Yes! The conversation about pronunciation, we have to correct people when it is wrong! Proud of you for making those adjustments.
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One aspect I wanted to focus on for this week's topic regarding international perspectives is the impact of online learning in developing countries. I decided to explore Google Scholar and came across a very interesting article by Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih and colleagues (2020) titled Responses to Covid-19 in Higher Education: Social Media Usage for Sustaining Formal Academic Communication in Developing Countries . This article highlighted many other challenges I should have considered during the pandemic, especially regarding international perspectives and experiences with online learning. I knew that the experiences in the United States were highly challenging. Still, we had far more resources than developing countries to transition to online learning and instruction because of the access to learning management systems. However, most developing countries did not know how to continue learning and teaching safely, with no alternative resources and solutions like online learning systems...
I remember the first time I learned about Slack; it was my first year as a Graduate Supervisor in Residential Life at Indiana University. I worked alongside my direct supervisor in co-supervising an undergraduate staff of nine resident assistants (RA's). At the time of staff training, we decided on a platform that could serve as mass communication for the team. We agreed on Slack because there was the option to have multiple channels to engage in different topics. However, this felt far more complicated than a GroupMe chat. After a few failed attempts with Slack, we decided to move forward and not use it as our primary communication forum. I had mixed feelings about Slack. I did not understand any of the other features, so I did not feel I would return to using Slack. We were introduced to Slack in our week 9 module, and I considered giving Slack another try. I checked Slack's website to see if there were any changes, but I did not see any new features or changes. I chose to ...
Mr. Johnnie Allen Jr.! GREAT POST! Thank you so much for talking about your identity and brand as it relates to your name. The name is the doorway that leads to the heart and wow do I feel your heart and soul in this post here. Your name also means so much, it means turmoil and traction along with resilience and empowerment. We have had discussions in the past of names and their associated pronunciations and how the correct pronunciation is just as important as the name itself. As I reflect on your question of my blogger identity, I certainly think about the fact that my name is signed on each of those posts. I love the opportunity to take and learn from the readings and apply to our current world through the blogs. I am proud of my blogs and my name attached to it. Thank you for expressing your authentic thoughts on this topic (soon to be) Dr. Allen!
ReplyDeleteHi Ravi! Thank you, friend! I truly appreciate it and your support along this journey. Our name's are so important and it is only right that we fully embrace them! Yes! The conversation about pronunciation, we have to correct people when it is wrong! Proud of you for making those adjustments.
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