As a person that has grown up utilising technology my sense of social networking would different compared to someone who grew up 10 or more years before me. Investopedia says that social networking is “the use of Internet-based social media sites to stay connected with friends, family, colleagues, customers, or clients. Social networking can have a social purpose, a business purpose, or both, through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, among others.”
To me though, social networking is creating connections between likeminded people who have a similar purpose or goal. We use whatever means is available to us, whether it be email, conference call, social media or even face to face networking at conferences or through shared connections. Through these connections, we create a network of support and advice that is both relevant and needed for an ever changing landscape that is teaching.
As someone who is in their mid-twenties, I find myself drawn to social media in my personal life to stay connected with friends and family as well as to stay up to date with news and trends. I believe that at times, I rely too heavily on social media to the detriment of my actual life and find myself constantly flicking between my many social media vices. In my personal life I find myself constantly utilising social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, GoodReads and Pinterest. Through my career as a teacher, I also use Facebook and Instagram to help share news and find new ways to keep my classroom engaging and relevant.
I am looking forward to INF506 in the hopes that I get some valuable strategies of how to update my school library and utilise social networking to draw more students and staff into the library. I would like to find new strategies and technologies that will captivate a new 21st century learner and allow them to realise that libraries are still useful and relevant today.
References
Kenton, W. (2019, November 18). Understanding Social Networking. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-networking.asp.
