Wait there's MORE?—Discovering New Social Media Platforms

Living in a world with constant and rapid changes, specifically in a digital world, forces individuals to engage with various social and digital media platforms and tools. I could not have thought of a better time to take this course and learn about Web 2.0 and its societal influence. If it was not for this course, I would not pay close attention to the latest social and digital media outlets. EME 6414 has shifted my lens and perspective when thinking about and engaging with social and digital media. I used to feel the need to constantly stay on all platforms because I strongly feared missing out. However, this course has taught me to critically think about the ones I participate in. Should I be participating for my own knowledge consumption, or am I choosing to create all of these platforms so I can always catch what is trending? Now, we are in a world where everyone is on social media, which can cause additional challenges. One very important and favorite platform of mine, Twitter, is experiencing trouble due to changes from Elon Musk. The changes introduced another tool, Threads, for individuals to engage in, similar to Twitter. I thought it was cool for it to emerge so quickly. However, I could not download and create an account. I am in this stage where I want to minimize how much time I spend on social media. However, I have friends sharing how much they love Threads, so I feel I am missing out. What are your thoughts on Threads? Do you see yourself creating an account? Is there a thing as TOO MANY social media apps? I am still figuring out whether Threads will be my next account.

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"New Look, Who Dis" Blog Makeover

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Before this week's readings, I only partially thought about generational differences when it comes to technology. Yes, I know there have been distinct differences between how I grew up as a child compared to my parents and now my nieces and nephew with using technology. I did not always have the latest technology growing up, but when I did, it felt like I "had" to have it to stay connected to what my peers were experiencing. My nieces and nephew are now growing up with all types of technology (tablets, school laptops, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) because it is so prevalent in their experiences and upbringing. While reflecting on the readings, the part that shocked me the most would have to be the terms digital natives and digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001). I knew that these specific "identities" regarding technology usage existed, but I did not know there was a term that classified it all together until the Prensky (2001) article. As described in the article, ...

Reflections on Slack

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 ...

Johnnie Allen Jr.

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