Using New Literacy Studies to Understand Participation in Online Social Networking Systems Royce Kimmons
Dec 13, 2014
Using New Literacy Studies to Understand Participation in Online
Social Networking Systems
Royce Kimmons
Part 1Literacy and Technology
What is Literacy?
Literacy as: Social participation
(Cazden et al., 1996) “Way of Being” vs. “Way
of Doing” (Gee, 2009) Developing community
membership by copying, adapting, and synthesizing (Ivanic, 1998)
Literacy and Identity
There is no "essential 'real' self", but only selves moderated and framed by unique historical situations and boundaries; “identity without identification” (Gee, 2009).
"People's diverse identities constitute the richness and the dilemmas of their sense of self" (Ivanic, 1998).
Power & Control
Learning = "creating the learning conditions for full social participation" (Cazden et al., 1996) vs. assimilation / enculturation
Language, Technology, & Culture
Co-evolutionary artifacts in social anthropology (Pfaffenberger, 1992)
How do technology and language shape culture? Vice-versa? Identity?
Neutral Media?
“The medium is the message” (McLuhan, 1964)
Literacy Questions for any Medium
1. What does participation in the medium look like?
2. What embedded values does the medium have, and how do these influence social structures?
3. Are there different levels or types of meaningful participation in the medium?
4. How does one become a full or meaningful participant in the medium?
5. How does participation in the medium influence culture and identity?
6. What prevents or complicates participation in the medium?
Part 2Facebook from a Literacy Perspective
What does participation in Facebook look like?
Connect with or “friend” others Sharing thoughts, updates, pictures, etc. with
others Communicate with different communities,
ranging from individuals (message), groups of strangers (groups), friends or sub-groups of friends, networks, public, etc., depending upon the intention
Connections vary from professional to personal May sustain relationships or seek new ones
What embedded values does Facebook have, and how do these influence social structures?
“Friend,” really? Everyone? Sharing of personal information; sharing too
much? Too often? Ad revenues → privacy concerns; sharing
information with unintended sources Digital footprint that is persistent Personal … but not personal enough; is this
really friendship?
Are there different levels or types of meaningful participation in Facebook?
Depends upon who you connect with and why; friends, family, colleagues, etc.
Merely maintaining contact vs. active socialization vs. meeting new people vs. stalking
How does one become a full or meaningful participant in Facebook?
Reach out, find, connect, communicate Sustain relationships Share a lot, share many types of media, share
with many, share often Be interesting, concise, witty, unpredictable,
and/or controversial Check often and reply quickly
How does participation in Facebook influence culture and identity?
Social grooming (Tufekci, 2008) Makes a variety of activities social (e.g.
commerce, play, advocacy); “likes” Collapses identity (multiple spheres or
networks into one) Ties me to my activities, declarations (e.g.,
politics, religion, partying, school/work history), etc.
Homophily (Thelwall, 2009)
What prevents or complicates participation in Facebook?
Tech competency and access? Not really. Boundaries Multiple groups of “friends” connected through
the individual; multiple audiences Unclear privacy (boyd, 2008); “not as safe as
you think” Single or multiple identities? Controversial topics and hostility Time and addiction
Food for Thought
What implications arise from the mandated use or prohibition of Facebook? Identity?
Does Facebook transform our identities from multiple to single?
Does social presence (or lack thereof) impact real life and relationships?
Can our identities evolve as necessary with the world watching (and taking notes)?
Part 3Twitter from a Literacy Perspective
Explore Twitter Break into groups and peruse the
following Twitter pages:
1. http://twitter.com/davecormier and http://twitter.com/andylevy
2. http://twitter.com/opencontent and http://twitter.com/ConanOBrien
3. http://twitter.com/henryjenkins and http://twitter.com/rainnwilson
4. http://twitter.com/veletsianos and http://twitter.com/justinbieber
5. http://twitter.com/gsiemens and http://twitter.com/chrisbrown
6. http://twitter.com/ewellburn and http://twitter.com/Oprah
Twitter Literacy
Answer one of the questions here: http://bit.ly/qMytCg Add food for thought or persistent questions
Part 4Some Final Reflections for Educators
Regarding Literacy
If technology choices introduce issues of power and identity into the classroom, then what challenges does this pose for educators in choosing how and when to use technology?
What is the difference between technical competency and technology literacy? Which is more important? Which is more difficult to teach/learn?
Regarding Facebook
How should we approach the issue of “friending” students, colleagues, and others? Are we transforming their experience/identity? Are we prepared for the consequences in our own
experience/identity? What do we (and our students) want out of
Facebook and what are the implications of relationships, communications, and what we share (or don't share) on our outcomes?
What are the dangers of the persistent and (potentially) public nature of all electronic communication?
Thanks!