Blog

(Insitu Smarter Learning, 2022)

Undertaking this unit has shifted the way I think about social media and the value it has on education. I visualised social media being an online communication for people who wanted to showcase their lives with other participants. However, I immersed myself in the module readings and Facebook discussions and I was able to envisage the potential social media offered not only socially and for business purposes, but also for the whole school environment. Furthermore, I learnt the importance Web 2.0 technologies have on social media since their emergence, especially where this technology permits mobile use, and the connection learners have with each other and educators on commonly shared social networks (Giannikas, 2020).

Before studying INF506 I never used social media because it did not interest me and had no time for it; however, I have realised there is more to social media than taking pictures of dinner plates at restaurants. As an inexpensive, reliable, and effective tool for reaching out and connecting people and services, social media offers positive benefits to people’s lives. However contrary to the benefits, there are notable cons that had me thinking about how people portray themselves on social media. For example, if people do not get enough “likes” on their posts or comments on achievements, this initiates a vulnerability generating depression and anxiety and showing signs of low self-esteem (OLJ Task 1) . This task signified the limitation and significant inconsistencies that were highlighted in the article between the benefits and negative impacts of social media on self-esteem, although it was depended on relational-closeness whereby support played a dominant role in effective mediation.

This unit has empowered me with the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to enhance my digital skills through social media as a tool; to create, market, promote and provide information for the whole school environment, initiating exciting new possibilities as a future teacher librarian (TL). The influence of social media and technology has deepened my understanding and insight of the impact it has especially when researching OLJ task 2. I reflect on my amazement of how COVID forced people to embrace technology to such a high degree. After lockdown, it became apparent that society was more inclusive of the technology and its usage. Schools embraced online learning immediately with teachers quickly moving to online teaching and students experiencing another world in learning. I agree with Kristina that changes have been rapid and fast-paced, and the spread of information is providing opportunities for people. However, as I stated in Task 2, new technology changes will only be beneficial to organisations if they meet the clients’ needs; therefore, organisations must know when and how to change to grow and provide products and services for their customers (Adner & Kapoor, 2016). My understanding has deepened of how the influence of technology on society is connected and the way it has stimulated its usage.

Millennials prefer to be taught using digital technologies and have an interaction with technology that no other generation has previously endured (Au-Yong-Oliveira et al., 2018). The influence technology has on millennials is apparent through constant use of devices. Libraries must ensure their systems and processes assist users as social media and technologies become easier to access, use and people become comfortable with it (Destrianan & Juanda, 2019). This also agrees with Kimberly’s report whereby the advancement of technology, and the influence it has on social media bring about significant changes and the way we communicate. Suzanne explains how embracing Library 2.0 broadens a library’s impact by incorporating the digital use of resources and reaching out to users regardless of location. The impact of Library 2.0 on social connection and learning in the 21^st century offers opportunities; however, up-to-date software and technological advancements must be maintained to fulfil competencies in the professional field of TLs, otherwise it may be difficult to sustain positive library usage (Luo & Hostetler, 2020).

As I engaged in the practical side of the unit, creating a mock Instagram page, I was able to explore and learn new skills as I mould over how I was going to get through assessment one. Once I understood what I had to do and finally got my head around how to create a page, I began to enjoy the opportunity of taking photos to match events and activities I thought would generate interest in the library by users. Posting pictures and writing a blurb about what was happening was a new avenue for me and surprisingly, I enjoyed immensely. Additionally, this subject provided me with the confidence and skills I needed to reassess my thoughts and advance my skills going forward. I began to acknowledge that incorporating new technological trends, software and social media into education would enhance the users’ experience and ultimately promoting the library. In the future, I look forward in taking on the TLs role and using my new learnt skills and knowledge to further enhance the school environments’ experience.

Gaining insight into how social media platforms work, the future of technological trends, social, cultural, ethical issues, and educational benefits, I also challenged my thinking with implications associated with social media and new technologies. This was apparent in OLJ Task 1 and the impact technology and social media has on ethical and social issues. Chloe highlighted aspects of the article; the more times a person is on social media the more comparison there will be and the more they want. I agree with her and elaborate on relational-closeness based on self-esteem. For example, those who have a high intensity of social media usage resulted in higher self-esteem based on social support perceptions; however, the effects were reversed for those suffering lower self-esteem.

In conclusion, the skills and knowledge I take away as the unit comes to a close and my understanding of how social media benefits connections with people and endless possibilities for education, are invaluable. The future in technological advancements is equally instrumental in new developments such as, innovative tools like Augmented and Virtual Reality as Mariana highlighted; however, financial constraints will be an issue initially forcing delays to fully implement such potential benefits in the library for its users. My discussion on the OLJ Task 17, thoughts for the future and accessibility of new technological trends are not without its challenges and the privacy surrounding social media as libraries seek innovative ways to promote their services. The future in technologies is advancing at an incredible rate and embracing new technology is both exciting and daunting as libraries and TLs are constantly alerted to keep up with new trends and information systems with their unique expertise.

Total words: 1099

Reference

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=136e4ffa-b9cd-4ac4-87d6-a45e580c1c53%40redis

Au-Yong-Oliveira, M,. Gonçalves, R., Martins, J., & Branco, F. (2018). The social impact of technology on millennials and consequences for higher education and leadership. Telematics and Informatics, 35, 954-963.

Destriana, D. B., & Juanda. (2019). Influence of information technology on society. Materials Science and Engineering. 662. 1-6.

Insitu Smarter Learning. (2022). Reflection in online learning – designing designing alternatives to free writing activities (image). Insitu Smarter Learning. https://insitu.digital/reflection-in-online-learning-designing-alternatives-to-free-writing-activities/

Giannikas, C. (2020). Facebook in tertiary education: The impact of social media in e-learning. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. 17(1), 3, 1-17.

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. 46(5), 102193.

 

Privacy surrounding social media is an ongoing issue especially as more content is presented online through multiple information organisations. There are several challenges and hurdles organisations need to overcome to ensure patron privacy is not overlooked. Some of these concerns are, tracking personal data through patron usage, fake information, misinformation, and more which has both predictable and unpredictable consequences (Feher, 2021). According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), privacy is defined as, the human rights in supporting choice to express thoughts but also protect people’s privacy from and personal information (OAIC, n.d). Libraries have managed personal information much longer than social media has been around, however, privacy remains an important issue for internet users. For this extended post, the topic of social media and privacy will be covered using public libraries as the information organisation.

Privacy of users’ personal data on social media is not a new concept, however, it is concerning for users who more cautious about their personal information and where it goes. Social media platforms are publicly accessible, and as with everything else online, leaves digital traces which identifies who they are, what they like, what they do, how often they use social media, and what they use it for. This provides information of user interest, demographics, and online behaviour which are impossible to control or completely delete (United IT Consultants). Libraries have several policies and codes to ensure patron information, user activity and awareness of their own privacy and security is maintained. Systems are in place to assist libraries with the flow of information such as, user management systems (NLA, n.d). Librarians, as information professionals, need to ensure patrons understand how much control they have over their information and how information is maintained or used (Osorio, 2023). Osorio (2023) elaborates, 79% of users are concerned about data privacy and how organisations use the data collected, while 64% increased their awareness over the past year and have some reservations.

People have the need to trust where their private information is sent as they may have multiple social media accounts. Unfortunately, this is difficult to monitor considering social media has become the means of connecting, sharing information, and linking with each other (Valentine, 2020). According to Walters (2022), forty-nine percent of people have concerns about their privacy on social media than the year before. Although, there are policies and procedures (ALA, 2018) in place, ethical issues remain a concern. The National Library of Australia (NLA) maintains guidelines when transferring patrons’ information from paper to electronic resources ensuring confidentiality and trust is conserved. However, to ensure unauthorised retrieval is prevented during transfer of data, measures need to be in place and reassessed to guarantee privacy and security of patrons’ data. The galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) records use guidelines to assist with patron privacy, however, states that data about patrons could be used by third parties to better their service, giving the impression that patron data may not be so private and uncertain where the information ends up (University of Oxford, n.d).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Web 2.0 are some of the most recent digital landscapes that organisations are considering, demanding greater security on patrons’ flow of information. As technologies evolve, the task becomes difficult because of the fast pace of digital upgrades and organisations’ attempts to keep up with technology (Morse, 2019; Williams, 2020). Libraries adaptation of Web 2.0 have initiated many positive uses to connect, serve users and share information (Jones, 2019; Avuglah, et al., 2020); however, the concerns of protecting its patron’s information and maintaining ethical standards of the library are noted by the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA). I Love Libraries (2024) categorises privacy as the right of patrons to the freedom of inquiry without being scrutinised by others on what they read or seek. These ethical issues rests on librarians as the information professionals to ensure personal information such as reading track of a patrons remains confidential and assumptions are not exemplified.  On the other hand, the promise to deliver improved service to the library with Library 2.0 require some level of tracking, collecting, and retaining data about the activities of patrons. Nonetheless, librarian ethical morals towards patrons’ privacy remains a high priority which begins with the freedom of access, freedom to read text and view images and freedom to express thoughts without misuse of information, as stated in the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights (Zimmer, 2014; ALA, 2018). Tracking patrons’ usage is beneficial to narrow flaws in the system, assist staff to improve services and meet user needs however; guiding principles such as the code of conduct must be upheld (Rathore et al., 2017). Zimmer (2014) and Pacific Library Partnership (2020) agrees, protecting library patrons’ confidentiality and privacy by limiting user tracking activities, anonymous browsing and retaining data for short-term periods increases trust in library services and data handling processes.

The NLA takes reasonable steps associated with the ethical issues of patrons by the implementation of practices, procedures, and systems to protect patrons’ information and assessing strategies yearly. The NLAs online services are in accordance with the Australian Government Protective security Policy Framework and the Australian Government Information Security Manual. The NLA (n.d) privacy policies apply to members of the public that uses, requests, engages, makes donations or registers for its services and products. Cotter and Sasso (2016) further discuss concerns of privacy issues for patrons, and librarians should be mindful of these potential issues for users. They further elaborate the importance of gaining and maintaining patron trust. As libraries embrace social media as a marketing tool and guided by governing bodies such as the American Library Associations (ALA), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and IFLA, additional consideration and discussion regarding principles on privacy, code of conduct and patron data usage are required. ALA maintains the library privacy toolkits which are available to librarians in developing their own privacy policy to suit their library and its patrons.

Finally, social media and privacy in organisations is a challenging and ongoing task to ensure patrons feel safe, confident and trust their personal information with the organisation. Developing a comprehensive social media policy protects patron privacy and educates patrons rights. Furthermore, it prevents data breeches and upholds ethical standards from staff. Privacy is a complex topic and interpretation is limited to how each organisation chooses to construct its policies and guidelines; however, in terms of the library setting, essential training and understanding in handling patron data usage information and skills needed to navigate changing digital landscapes is imperative to ensure commitment to privacy issues on social media is sustained.

 Total words: 1085

References

American Library Association [ALA]. (2018). Social media guidelines for public and academic libraries. American Library Association. https://ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/socialmediaguidelines

Avuglah, B. K., Owusu-Ansah, C. M., Donkor, G. T., & Yeboah, E. B. (2020). Privacy issues in libraries with online services: Attitudes and concerns of academic librarians and university students in Ghana. College & Research Libraries. 81(6).

Cotter, K., & Sasso, M, D. (2016). Libraries protecting Privacy on social media: Sharing without “oversharing”. Pennsylvania Libraries. 4(2), 73-89. https://doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2016.130

Feher, K. (2021). Digital identity and the online self: Footprint strategies – An exploratory and comparative research study. Journal of Information Science. 47(2), 192-205. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/0165551519879702

I Love Libraries. (2024). Libraries protect privacy. The American Library Association. https://ilovelibraries.org/protect-privacy/

Jones, M. J., & Harvey, M. (2019). Library 2.0: The effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool for libraries in educational institutions. Journal of librarianship and Information Science. 51(1). 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000616668959

Judsen, S. (2022). The most common social media privacy issues [Image]. IPVanish. https://www.ipvanish.com/blog/the-most-common-social-media-privacy-issues/

Morse, A. (2019). Libraries go high-tech to stay relevant in the digital era. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/culture/libraries-go-high-tech-to-stay-relevant-in-the-digital-era/

National Library of Australia [NLA]. (n.d). Privacy Policy. National Library of Australia. https://www.nla.gov.au/about-us/corporate-documents/policy-and-planning/privacy-policy#:~:text=The%20Library%20will%20not%20use,set%20out%20in%20APP%206.2.

Office of the Australian Information Commission [OAIC]. (n.d). What is privacy? Australian Government.https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/your-personal-information/what-is-privacy

Osorio, G. A. (2023). Data privacy – do you have control over your digital data? Spiralytics.https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/data-privacy-do-you-have-control-over-your-digital-data/

Pacific Library Partnership. (2020). Data privacy best practices toolkit for libraries: A guide for managing and protecting patron data.

https://plp2020.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PLP_Toolkit_Final-Accessibility-Modified.pdf

Rathore, S., Sharma, P. K., Loia, V., Young-Sik, J., & Park, J. H. (2017). Social network security: Issues, challenges, threats, and solutions. Information Sciences, 421, 43-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ins.2017.08.063

United IT Consultants. (2023). Navigating the find line: Balancing social media use and data privacy. Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-fine-line-balancing-social-media-use-data/

University of Oxford. (n.d). Privacy policy. Gardens Libraries & Museums. https://www.glam.ox.ac.uk/privacy-notice-bodleian-libraries

Valentine, O. (2020). Data privacy on social media and why it matters. We Are Social. https://wearesocial.com/us/blog/2020/03/data-privacy-on-social-media-and-why-it-matters/

Walters, C. (2022). Why is privacy important in social media? CopyPress. https://www.copypress.com/blog/privacy-in-social-media/

Williams, M. L. (2020). The adoption of web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. 52(1). 137-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000618788725

Zimmer, M. (2014). Librarians ’attitudes regarding information and internet privacy. The Library Quarterly. 84(2). https://doi.org/10.1086/675329

What is the potential for the future of an organisation you are familiar with?

Working as a teacher in schools, things changed dramatically during the pandemic, schools looked into innovative ways to teach (Softlink, 2023). This included how the library would service students online, placing greater status on eBooks and audio books that could be accessed from the online library system Oliver.Additionally, SORA further assisted students in their reading ventures and reading for pleasure. SORA assists with dyslexia by changing the font and can be used as a listening tool, reading to the student who can then bookmark its place and come back to continue from that page. Furthermore, the Education Department in Canberra added The World Book and Britannica as a research and investigative tool on Digital Backpack. These are age-appropriate based on the school. More recently, my school is considering online science, alleviating workbooks/sheets and borrowing out-dated books. The need for digitisation and online information is becoming more apparent and school librarian will need to be well versed in copyright and censorship material (Cox, 2020). Therefore, more funding into training librarians and acquiring new skills to better access and stream online information and eBooks is essential.

What impact might the future have on us as information professionals?

The pandemic has taught us many valuable lessons and one of these is, libraries need to take services to the people. Moreover, it has confirmed that teacher librarians (TL) must have a presence in school libraries. In Canberra, as with other states (except NSW) it is not mandatory to have TLs in libraries. As information professionals they provide training and learning support for online teaching and learning for students and teachers. TLs work with principals, executives, and teachers to envisage best practices in building relationships with other teachers and adhere to school goals and objectives (Softlink, 2023). They are curriculum experts providing greater input in designing learning programs and facilitating tools and resources for projects.

Cox (2020) states that libraries had minimal time to plan, closing face-to-face library services and moving to online. He adds libraries spent years curating digital content, providing numerous ways to research and interact. When libraries re-opened a new norm digital landscape was established.

Total words: 420

Reference

Campbell, H. (2023). Digital libraries empowering access to knowledge (Image). Storable.com. https://storable.com/articles/digital-library-empowering-access-to-knowledge/

Cox. C. (2020). Changed, changed utterly. Inside higher Ed (IHE).  https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/06/05/academic-libraries-will-change-significant-ways-result-pandemic-opinion

Softlink. (2023). Future trends and services in libraries. Softlink. https://ic.softlinkint.com/blog/future-trends-and-services-in-libraries/

 

 

Article: Will using social media benefit or harm users’ self-esteem? It depends on perceived relational-closeness.

Brief description

The purpose of this research was to explore the concerns of social media use and self-esteem which according to Han and Yang (2023) found inconsistent results. Two forms of study were conducted to explore the intensity of users towards social media platforms in relation to a weak or strong relational-closeness. They concluded from this study that those with a stronger relational-closeness benefited from social media over those with a weaker relational-closeness who tended to be more harmful users with a lower self-esteem.

Analysis

Han and Yang (2023) further examined the concept of social media by elaborating self-esteem depended on the nature of the social media platform used, who was using it and for what purpose. Additionally, self-esteem is intensified when users share content on social media that is viewed by others who are not friends or family (Cingel, et al., 2022).  Pescott (2020) conducted research with 10-13 years using social media platforms, indicating the ease of access and influence of the internet encourages youth online socialisation regardless of the dangers. She further elaborates the need of belonging and self-disclosure to keep up with trends overrides any risks or dangers when interacting on social media. Han and Yang (2023) also touch on the concept that individuals have the need to compare themselves with others using social media.

Research suggests that social context in recent years has become central to identity, appearance and even the number of likes or lack of, placing users’ into emotional statue (Davis, 2012). However, Han and Yang (2023) argue individuals who have higher social media use through social support network sites resulted in higher self-esteem than those with higher intensity use, but share content with unknown users. Nair (2020) adds, individuals with lower self-esteem encountered difficulties in establishing relationship online due to increase use of social media causing poor quality of sleep, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, social media platforms like Facebook encourages individuals to build their profile which is viewed and scrutinised not only friends but by the public as well in which comments given can have a great impact on someone’s life and people’s self-esteem (Jan et al., 2017).

Thus, social media has many benefits when exploring websites, seeking information, connecting with people/establishing new relations and investing in social ties, however, depends on how the person uses the platform and for what, will depend on whether self-esteem will be a weak or strong relational-closeness. For some, social media can be detrimental to one’s health and well-being so people may need to seek better ways to cope with its flaws.

 Total words: 398

Reference

Cingel, D. P., Cater, M. C., & Krause, H. V. (2022). Social media and self-esteem. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copysyc.2022.101304

Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents’ experience of belonging and self-disclosure online. Journal of Adolescence, 35(6), 1527-1536. https://doi.org/10.1016.j.adolescence.2012.02.013

Han, Y., & Yang, F. (2023). Will using social media benefit or harm users’ self-esteem? It depends on perceived relational-closeness. Social Media+Society, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231203680

Jan, M., Soomro, S., & Ahmad, N. (2017). Impact of social media on self-esteem. European Scientific Journal, 13(23), 329-341. https://doi.org/10.90044/esj.2017.v13n23p329

Nair, P. (2020). Understanding the complex relationship between social media and self-esteem. Artha Journal of Social Sciences, 19(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.12724.ajss.52.1

Pescott, C. K. (2020). “I wish I was wearing a filter right now:  An exploration of identity formation and subjectivity of 10-and 11-year olds” social media use. Social Media+Society, 6(4), 1-10.

Quander, R. (2022). Social media is slowly killing our society (Image). The Hornet Newspaper. https://thehornetonline.com/2022/03/10/social-media-is-slowly-killing-our-society/

 

Technology has influenced society in significant ways especially during Covid-19; forced people to stay at home and continue their work, school and socialising from their home. Destriana and Juanda (2019) state that social media has become easier as people become comfortable using it for daily activities. Social media has become a way of interacting with other people and communicating without too much restriction.

However, the impact of technological changes continues to rapidly grow and has done over the past few decades. The use of technology has drastically increased, changing peoples’ lives, and playing a major role in society. Whether we like it or not society is shaped by technology and as humans cannot seem to get enough, we want more, potentially impacting society both in beneficial and harmful consequences. The interaction that millennials have with technology, no other generation has had and the effects it brings will affect the way they are taught in school and how they want to be led (Au-Yong-Oliveira, et al, 2018). Furthermore, with technological changes new ways of searching and finding information and using new platforms creates another level of mind boggling; what do I do? or where do I go? is this safe?

With technological change there are both benefits and implications. Some benefits are:

• easier to connect with people
• access information promptly
• improve medical care
• endless data storage
• studying online
• working from home
• entertainment is readily available
• improved organisational productivity

(Slack, 2023).

However, there are many implications that have been introduced to society since the outbreak of computers and the internet, and its ever-changing technology:

• hacking
• theft (credit card, identity, etc..)
• lifestyle changes:Reduced physical activities which directly affects peoples’ health
• job loss
• addiction to technology through social media platforms, gaming, etc…

(Romans, 2023).

It is becoming increasingly clear that social media platforms are shaping the way people communicate daily and organisations and businesses are not immune to this phenomenon. Adner and Kapoor (2016) suggest technologies are beneficial to businesses and organisations however, they must know when and how to change according to the needs of customers. Furthermore, organisations use social media platforms as a marketing tool to build the growth of the business and its product and services. Technology allows people to connect, explore, study, work, entertain and investigate.

Total words: 376

References

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right tech, wrong time. Harvard Business Review. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=136e4ffa-b9cd-4ac4-87d6-a45e580c1c53%40redis

Au-Yong-Oliveira, M,. Gonçalves, R., Martins, J., & Branco, F. (2018). The social impact of technology on millennials and consequences for higher education and leadership. Telematics and Informatics, 35, 954-963.

Destriana, D. B., & Juanda. (2019). Influence of information technology on society. Materials Science and Engineering. 662. 1-6.

Giannelis, M. (2024). The impact of technology (Image). Tech Business News. https://www.techbusinessnews.com.au/the-impact-of-technology/

Kayla Slack. (2023). 9 ways technology has had a positive impact on society. The Switch.  https://www.switchliving.com.au/student-guide/technology-and-trends/technology-positive-impact-on-society/

Romans, C. (2023). The positive and negative effects of your life. Make use of (MUO). https://www.makeuseof.com/effects-of-technology-on-life/