The course INF506 “social networking for information professional” has strengthened my basic understanding of social media from different perspectives. The course highlighted the development of Web 2.0 technologies that drive change and creates new possibilities. The change leads us to be aware of and to discuss more about the issues such as misinformation that have resulted from social media use. The change also influences the development of Library 2.0 that encourages information professions to find new ways to connect with their users. The course also highlighted the future trends of new technologies, especially its impact on library services.
Through this course, I had the opportunity to explore and understand more about the issues that have resulted from social media use, which cover various topics such as privacy and security, copyright and ethical use, inclusiveness and diversity, digital identity, and misinformation. Among all these topics, what drive my attention is misinformation on social media. In the individual level, social media affects the way that we connect with each other. We usually receive and share news and information on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Before studying this course, I did not aware of the problem of misinformation on social media platforms. However, after studying this course, I found that the spread of misinformation happens often in our everyday lives and has become a very complex issue which is not easy to tackle. Misinformation is not a new problem and has existed for as long as information have, propagated through word-of-mouth, pamphlets and newspapers and now, amplified in both speed and spread through Web 2.0 technologies (Southwell et al., 2017, p. 372). It is a problem related to various factors such as culture, low digital literacy, preexisting beliefs and distrust of expertise, authority and traditional media. Therefore, misinformation has emerged as major public issue, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine misinformation has become a big issue. Through reading more research articles and online learning journals of my fellow students about misinformation, I discovered more about library anti-misinformation practices and fact-checking policies and practices from social media platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) to combat misinformation. However, those fact-checking policies and practices are vague and subjective and thus cannot effectively combat misinformation and give rise to the concerns about censorship that infringe the freedom of expression (Cotter et al., 2022, p. 1). Therefore, more research regarding the most effective approaches for combating misinformation need to be made in order to help libraries, governments, social media platforms and fact-checking organisations to make improvements on designing those policies and practices. Effective anti-misinformation policies and practices should strike a balance to protect intellectual freedom while offering reliable information to users. This course has raised my awareness on the issue of misinformation. As a social networker, we have the responsibility to beware of the accuracy of the information and thus can help in minimizing the spread of misinformation on social media.
Another important aspect of this course that I enjoy most is about the concept of Library 2.0 which means the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in libraries. As I am working in a small-scale academic library without using social media platforms, I found that the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies and their use in academic libraries is very useful and inspiring. Besides, the video from TEDx talk of Laura Cole about the Re-Imagined Public Library: Where Will it Find You? offers a fascinating glimpse of an all-digital public library, BiblioTech. This example reminds me the idea of “library without walls” which has become a reality through the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies. This video also reminds me the importance of change. The role of library and librarian need to change to continue to stay current and relevant (Joe, 2021, p. 1758). Therefore, library professionals need to keep updating their skills and expertise to cope with new challenges.
Moreover, this course offered me an opportunity to write a social media proposal for an internal Information Literacy working group in an academic library. For me, writing a proposal is very challenging but meaningful. I have learnt a lot through exploring social media options and proposing a suggested approach that enable the group members to share ideas and documents on social media. Finally, I chose Facebook, and I created a trial private Facebook page for the group members to share ideas and other good resources on the internet. That can facilitate more knowledge sharing and help them enhance their professional knowledge in information literacy. A successful social media proposal also needs to consider a wide range of things including the implementation plan, the processes that may be involved, possible barriers that may be encountered such as lack of time and staff resources to maintain the Facebook page, and some strategies for ongoing evaluation. Therefore, this course has enabled me to understand more about writing a proposal to implement Web 2.0 technologies in libraries.
Finally, the course has offered me with fascinating insights into future trends of new technologies that can implement in libraries to enhance their existing services or implement new services. For example, advanced technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) can be adopted to enhance existing library services such as information literacy trainings and library virtual tour which can attract more patrons to join (Hussain, 2020, p. 18). Advanced technologies undeniably bring many changes and challenges for the roles and responsibilities of information professionals. We need to find ways to perform life-long learning of the knowledge of new software and new technologies. For example, implementation of new library system brings new challenges as well as new opportunities to learn how to operate the new library system to improve library operation. Therefore, through this course, I have realised the need to embrace change and new opportunities to learn new knowledge.
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Reference
Cole, L. (2016, April 15). The re-imagined public library: Where will it find you? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnYDl66YfQ0
Cotter, K., DeCook, J. R., & Kanthawala, S. (2022). Fact-checking the crisis: COVID-19, infodemics, and the platformization of truth. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211069048.
Hussain, A. (2020). Cutting edge: Technology’s impact on library services. In J. Jesubright, & P. Saravanan (Eds.), Innovations in the designing and marketing of information services (pp. 16-27). IGI Global. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.4018/978-1-7998-1482-5.ch002.
Joe, J. A. (2021). Modernizing the academic library. In M. Khosrow-Pour D.B.A. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of information science and technology (5th ed.) (pp. 1757-1766). IGI Global. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.4018/978-1-7998-3479-3.ch121.
Southwell, B. G., Thorson, E. A., & Sheble, L. (2017). The persistence and peril of misinformation. American Scientist, 105(6), 372-375. https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/persistence-peril-misinformation/docview/1990790031/se-2?accountid=10344.