How technology shapes society

From the first text based bulletin boards created by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess in 1978 to the massive platforms today such as Facebook and WeChat, it could be argued that social networking has had an irreversible effect on society.  It has become an insatiable tool and companion for many an estimated two and a half billion Facebook users alone at time of writing (internetlivestats.com, n.d.).

Socially and economically it has changed the way people communicate and retrieve information and entertainment and interact with one another.

Nowhere has the change been more evident in terms of its effect than within the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) industry. Libraries in particular have been quick to take on the new technology.

Enhancing the way we as professionals engage with our clients which allows them wider freedom to interact and access information and experience of connecting with their local library.

Libraries have embraced social networking technology such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Instagram and YouTube to enhance their online presence.

It has created a new avenue of providing new online training experiences and enhanced the information needs of the community of those in remote or socially disadvantaged areas. Additionally, it has opened opportunities for accessibility with the capacity of most social networks being compliant under the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative through providing audio transcripts, close captioning or tools like alternative image or audio descriptions as immediate examples (W3.org, 2018).

Social networking can not only be an effective communication tool, but also serves as a decisive business tool, especially in terms of employment.  As Segal discusses, over 70 percent of potential employers will review a person’s social media (Hhrm.org, 2020).

The flow on effect can also create a negative impact on the course of employment as seen in 2018 when director James Gunn was fired when old tweets resurfaced with alleged jokes of a highly offensive nature (ABC News, 2018).

Looking forward there are a three thing that will need to be considered for both organisation and individuals alike when engaging with social networking tools successfully:

• Personal brand, which according to Peters, “everyone has the power to be their own brand and it is each person’s responsibility to promote their brand” (fast company.com, 1997).
• Privacy, both for organisations as well as the individuals who they represent or use their products
• Accessibility, in the rush to move forward we must be inclusive and not leave anyone behind

References

ABC News. (2018). Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn fired by Disney after tweets joking about rape, paedophilia resurface. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-21/james-gunn-fired-from-guardians-of-the-galaxy-over-tweets/10020902

Internetlivestats.com. (n.d.). Number of Facebook users. Retrieved from https://www.internetlivestats.com/

Peters, T. (1997). The brand called you. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you

Segal, J. (2020). Legal trends social media use in hiring:assessing the risks. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0914-social-media-hiring.aspx

W3.org. (2018). Accessibility. Retrieved from https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility