Introduction

 

Over the past semester, I’ve ventured into the overwhelming universe of social networking. This experience has challenged and supported my understanding of the purpose of social networking by information professionals. It has pushed me to engage with platforms that I personally have no interest in, and through research, work experience, designing a library proposal and the facilitation of an online learning journal, I’ve come to appreciate and understand the potential impact social networking has on library professionals and the services they administer to their communities. Below are my reflections on my semester with social networking.

 

Changing Views of Social Media Platforms

 

Social networking has always fascinated me. The exacerbation of societal positives and negatives has led me to hold a somewhat sceptical outlook on its purpose. This outlook, however, was immediately challenged by my first reading for this unit which discussed the potential benefits social media on LGBTQ+ community’s (Craig, Eaton, & McInroy, 2021). The article challenged me to rethink my viewpoint and investigate positive ways in which social media can be used by information professionals. Library professionals and libraries for example have for a long time been positioned as a third space in our communities, and by pivoting services to online social platforms libraries can continue to meet the changing needs of their communities in a relevant and safe way (Wood, 2021). Information professionals in my opinion are uniquely positioned to extend the safe space libraries provide into an online environment, and ensure users are equitably treated and supported on their journey to lifelong learning. After shifting a somewhat negative perspective and engaging with the idea of social media as a constructive and supportive tool, I have been able to frame a concise understanding of how information professionals can of the use social media platforms with organisational benefits and community benefits.

 

Organisational benefits – Include the use of social networking as a scaffold of staff knowledge and expertise. By incorporating this expertise into an accessible platform using discussion groups and document sharing, staff can interact in diverse work settings and consistently meet and understand their organisations goals and purpose anywhere, anytime (Nisar, Prabhakar & Strakova, 2018).

 

Community benefits – To use libraries as an example, social media has proven to be an effective marketing tool ensuring communities are aware of the services that are available to them, however it also has the capacity to build communities and provide services beyond their walls (Rossman, 2019). A recent example of engaging with communities is the 2021 National Simultaneous Storytime online, a national event organised by the Australian, Library and Information Association was integrated into a promotion by Richmond Tweed Regional Library (2021). By aligning with a national event, the library was able to communicate its services to schools and community groups in a fun and engaging way via Zoom. These short examples were developed through immersing myself in several social media platforms, some of which I’ll discuss now.

 

Tools & Platform Experiences

 

This semester has aligned quite well with my position at work, which has been with a community engagement team. The experiences I’ve had at work, have been supported by the knowledge I’ve been learning in this unit, and it has provided opportunities to explore several social media platforms. Below is a breakdown of two platforms, and the understanding I’ve developed.

 

Facebook/Instagram

 

I’ve bundled Facebook and Instagram together primarily because they do function in a similar way and can be used in conjunction with each other for promotions and community communication (Alfonzo, 2019). As a tool for information professionals, Facebook and Instagram have the greatest reach and capacity. A large percentage of users are already on Facebook for example (Qualman, 2019) and the platform provides a multi-faceted approach to service delivery and community connection. The experiences I’ve had with Facebook and Instagram have ranged from promoting events, communicating with library users and community groups, as well as discovering the process of using analytics to steer best practice (Alfonzo, 2019).

 

Zoom

 

Zoom has empowered information professionals to deliver effective programs to people who have been geographically and socially isolated throughout the COVID-19 lockdown and current restrictions (Goddard, 2020). Information professionals have been able to continue providing online services and programs through Zoom book clubs, storytime’s and creative social groups (State Library of New South Wales, 2020). With the easing of restrictions, public and university libraries have continued utilising the platform for online events such as National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 (Richmond Tweed Regional Library, 2021), as well as collaborative space for staff and students to continue their studies and research (University of Newcastle, 2021). This approach to delivering content directly to library users for example is an important step in remaining relevant and accessible to communities, whether it be through large events, or online book clubs and author talks, Zoom has the capacity to enable community connection (SLNSW, 2020). This connection also extends to organisations and staff, with Zoom and web conferencing being used as collaborative tools to ensure professional engagement (Luo & Hostetler, 2020).

 

Issues within the social environment

 

The issues revolving around social media platforms is quite fascinating and has been something I’ve been interested in throughout this unit. To make greater use of word count, I’m going to focus on racism as a theme within social environments. After reading an article on racism in social media, it quickly became apparent to me that organisations can and are challenged with responding in equitable ways to ensure people are safe in their online environments, as well as ensuring policies and procedures are not systemically racist as well (Matamoros-Fernandez & Farkas, 2021). Facebook and Instagram have both utilised segregating systems and algorithms to support tribalism, whether it be through catering to anonymity of harassers (Matamoros-Fernandez & Farkas, 2021) or incorporating ethnic affinity algorithms which assess people into ethnic categories based on their online engagement (Lange & Llanso, 2016). Information professionals also have the challenge of providing safe public spaces to encourage everyone within their community to grow and learn, however professionals need to ensure that discriminatory behaviours are monitored, especially in the use of offensive visual displays which can appear innocuous (Matamoros-Fernandez & Farkas, 2021) In order for information professionals and organisations to navigate these challenging situations, policies and awareness are key to establishing safe practice, with Fernandez & Farkas (2021) recommending the use of models such as the ethics of care and standpoint theories which inform situations of context, and develops a dialogue around the use and approach of social media interaction. Extending this ethics of care, I believe is social responsibility information organisations need to uphold, in order to continue providing safe spaces for their users and staff.

 

 

 

Online Learning Journal (OLJ) Experiences

 

The core component of this unit has been the maintenance and upkeep of an online learning journal (OLJ). Having this responsibility throughout this subject has been extremely effective, however, after reading through my articles today I’m sure you have noticed how inconsistent my writings have been. I did consider re-visiting the content of the OLJ, however I felt this would defeat the purpose of the assignment. Throughout this unit, I have experienced different components of social media, and it has developed my understanding, and the journal entries are a digital footprint of this development. One of the more interesting developments of the OLJ was around tone and voice. Trying to establish the tone of my articles was fascinating, and relied more on available time, then it did research. For example, my early OLJ posts, notably ‘The influence of technology on libraries and us’ and ‘Mobile website exploration’, are quite informal and relied more on engaging ideas than it did on informative support. As the weeks passed, I observed the development of other OLJ makers, and I attempted to establish a post which was professional, as well as engaging. Two posts were created in this style, one on augmented reality and the other on internet privacy, however the time and effort that went into creating this balance of engagement and information was challenging and very time consuming. This experience was extremely effective at giving me an appreciation of the effort and knowledge which goes into engaging social media presentation. My final posts for this unit have pivoted from my early explorations, and now unfortunately display more academic than engaging. Although this is disappointing, I now have a greater understanding of the commitment that successful bloggers and information professionals bring to their works.

 

Conducting Research on social media

 

The assessment 1 experience was an unusual mix of interesting and frustrating. The wealth of ideas I found while investigating different library services and their unique approaches to programs and social interactions was fascinating, however this was coupled with all manner of messaging and notification distractions. My note taking was also challenged, as all the ideas I was reading were transferrable to my place of work, leaving very little notes on the actual assessment. This dilemma challenged me to stay focused (turn off notifications) and utilise the ideas I was finding into suitable suggestions for the Riverland Library. These recommendations were then scaffolded with relevant scholarly research and industry application. This approach, coupled with the short word count ensured that suggestions were kept concise, and limited. For example, the participatory engagements example in the assessment was kept to two suggestions to allow relevant scholarly support for the ideas, rather than multiple unsupported ideas.

This assessment also provided valuable insight into engaging in social environments, and developing proposals based on those experiences. I was fortunate enough to be working within an environment where I saw the positive and negative use of social media, with factors such as misutilisation of social tools, misrepresenting the values and goals of an organisation, and not adhering to library policies. Some examples include using Facebook exclusively as a free advertising platform, scheduling conflicts and unanswered direct messages. This opportunity provided me with a clear understanding that social media platforms are an extension of a service and require information professionals to provide consistency no matter how users interact with a service.

 

Creating the Riverland Library proposal for a manager with no prior knowledge of social media was very relevant and ensured that I understood the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of social engagement. This approach supported my ability to articulate and demonstrate effective ways to improve online social service and create positive outcomes for users and staff.

 

Conclusion

 

Throughout this subject I have engaged with multiple online social tools and ideas, however the core concepts of information service to either library users, or students is transferrable to any online platform. The goals of providing accessible access and a safe environment are exactly the same, with the tools being effective at reaching more people, and hassling them with informative notifications.

 

 

References

 

Alfonzo, P. (2019). Mastering Mobile through Social Media: Creating Engaging Content on Instagram and Snapchat. Library Technology Reports, 55(2), 33-42. https://doi.org/10.5860/ltr.55n2

Ariadna, M. & Farkas, J. (2021). Racism, Hate Speech, and Social Media: A Systematic Review and Critique. Television & New Media, 22(2), 205-224. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420982230

Craig, S, L., Eaton, A, D., & McInroy, L, B. (2021). Can social media enhance LGBTQ+ youth well being? Development of the social media benefits scale. Social Media + Society, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121988931

Goddard, J. (2020). Public Libraries Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Creating a New Service Model. Information Technology and Libraries. 39(4). https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i4.12847

Lange, A. & Llanso, E. (2016, November 7). A Closer Look at the Legality of “Ethnic Affinity”. Center for Democracy & Technology. https://cdt.org/insights/a-closer-look-at-the-legality-of-ethnic-affinity/

Luo, T. & Hostetler, K. (2020). Making professional development more social: A systematic review of librarians’ professional development through social media. The journal of academic librarianship. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102193

Nasir, T, M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2018). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research. 94, 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.005

Qualman, E. (2020, June 24). Erik Qualman – Digital Transformation Video 2019 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI5yVTemR6E

Richmond Tweed Regional Library. (2021, May 19). National Simultaneous Storytime from Space! [Post]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/RichmondTweedRegionalLibrary/photos/a.174792829280983/3992134154213479/

Rossman, D (2019). Communicating through library values, mission, vision and strategic plans through social media. Library leadership & management, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.15788/2019.08.16

State Library of New South Wales. (2020). Online programs in NSW public libraries: Findings from a survey of NSW public libraries.  https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/public-library-services/covid-19-research/online-programs

University of Newcastle. (2021). Zoom – Online video conferencing. https://www.newcastle.edu.au/current-staff/working-here/it-and-computing/unify-collaboration-tools/zoom

Wood, E. (2020). Libraries full circle: The cross section of community, the public sphere, and third place. Public Library Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2020.1737491