Introduction

When I thought of social media (SM) before INF506, primarily I thought of the attention-hacking, data-harvesting companies which own these websites. I knew all of this, and yet I craved the quick dopamine hit a like or share sent through me. I disliked the lack of control I had over my own use of it. INF506 changed my perspective of social media from a crutch which I needed firm personal boundaries on, to a professional tool I could utilize for the benefit of those outside of myself.

I found the statistics shared in the modules fascinating. I read We Are Social’s 2021 statistics on daily internet time, which was up to a whopping 6 hours and 54 minutes in 2020. I had to check my daily device time on my phone because I was in such disbelief, and a little shocked to realise I was firmly around that mark. I spend almost as much time on my phone per day as I do with my school students; is that a cause for alarm or the new normal for the world?

My development as a social networker

In my first two weeks, I learned the indicator of social media’s negative impact on self-esteem is not about prolonged use of social media. It is, as I wrote about in my OLJ task 1 blog post, the relational closeness a user feels when interacting on a social media website which determines the impact on self-esteem (Han & Yang, 2023). My fellow classmate made solid points regarding important considerations Han and Yang’s study did not include; individual differences, and motivations for using social media (Kristina, 2023). Gee (2024) commented on my post about an experience of her as a high school teacher, where the school had taken a firm stance on no mobile phones at school. She reported a marked increase in teenagers engaging with each other (Gee, 2024). I wonder what precautions will be necessary for the future to mitigate the harm of social media on self-esteem? Personally, the understanding of strong and weak relational closeness has made me take a step back from TikTok, and further into social media websites where I feel genuine connection like Instagram and BeReal.

I had to face certain SM anxieties I had regarding big data this semester. I have downloaded my data profile from social media websites like Facebook before, and the sheer amount kept on an individual is astronomical. Businesses, such as Facebook and Twitter, use big data to enhance their business operations, and continuously alter their algorithm to lock users in (Tella & Kadri Kehinde, 2021). I enjoyed reading module 5, for all the great resources on big data. Me and my shadow (n.d.) proved my suspicions around big data were worse than I anticipated. Companies are collecting data to create a profile of who you are which can be packaged and sold to anyone (Me and my shadow, n.d.). My worries were somewhat alleviated by discovering tools like trackography and lightbeam, which enable the user to see who is tracking them and where the data goes (Me and my shadow, n.d.). I appreciated the sense of control such programs re-established in my confidence to social network.

My development as an Information Professional (IP)

I have always known the role of an information professional boils down to information provision and service. In my earlier core subjects, I read about the concept of the public library becoming a community hub; a living organism as opposed to a quiet place. I adore this idea, because the idea of the public library remaining a safe space for the vulnerable is one which means a great deal to me. I now consider social media an extension of that community hub, and the welcoming nature and professionalism must be extended online.

The vast and inescapable shifting changes of technology has caused me to acknowledge the current LIS education is preparing us for a position which will be vastly different to what it is now in five years’ time. This is not a critique of LIS education. I believe the AI and virtual reality (VR) revolution will immensely push all professions into unpredictable trajectories.

I read classmate’s blogs on OLJ task 8, defining information professionals in the digital era. I noticed certain skills I had acknowledged in my own blog were shared by my classmates; customer service, technological proficiency, and adaptability (Katrina, 2023; Kikoleung1011, 2023). Of these skills, adaptability stands out the strongest to me. My classmates comments on my blog post as working IP’s reiterated the need for adaptability to meet the constantly changing needs of their users. These comments were validating as I am currently employed as a teacher and my perception of an information professional’s role is all theory currently. INF506 has given me multiple online communities such as Facebook and Discord to turn to for professional networking and critical discussion of the LIS profession.

Information Organisations and AI

In my blog post OLJ task 2, I wrote about the influence of technology on society. I singled out artificial intelligence (AI) in my post, and the ethical considerations of utilizing AI in information organisations. Pelletier et al. (2021) noted the growing trend of low-quality online instruction automated by learning analytics and AI. In their OLJ task 8 blog post, Kikoleung1011 (2023) noted the research efforts to use AI automated systems to identify misinformation across social media platforms, and the how a grasp of information ethics is essential for the modern IO. As is evident in my blog, I question how these AI analytics will be policed and how potential bias will be minimized.

A fellow blogger, Warner (2024), commented on the lack of understanding organisation’s have on AI, and yet the willingness to spring forth into the thick of it somewhat blindly. I agree, and yet, as with social media, a foot in the door with the willingness to make mistakes seems a better approach than avoiding the technology entirely.

Conclusion

I must say despite my fear of big data harvesting, I am optimistic to where social media and arising technologies will take the LIS profession. INF506 gave me a sense of control over my social media skillset, and how to apply it professionally. I believe remaining adaptable and applying skills of lifelong learning to technological changes will serve me well, whether it is with social media, VR, or AI tools.

Word count: 1065.

Reference List

[kikoleung1011]. (2023, December 14). OLJ Task 8: Defining information professional in the digital era. My Learning Journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/mylearningjourney/2023/12/14/oljtask-8-defining-information-professional-in-the-digital-era/

[Kristina]. (2023, December 03). OLJ task 1: Social media and society – Journal article analysis. Kristina’s Learning Journal. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kristina/

Gee, K. (2024, January 10). Tyrone, I wonder as well whether there will be boundaries for social media. [Comment on blog post “OLJ Task 1 – Will Using Social Media Benefit or Harm Users’ Self-Esteem? It depends on Perceived Relational-Closeness”]. Tyrone Tornabene’s INF506 Reflective Blog. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/tyronetornabeneinf506/2023/12/02/olj-post-1-will-using-social-media-benefit-or-harm-users-self-esteem-it-depends-on-perceived-relational-closeness/

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), 20563051231203680. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231203680

Maddalena, N. (2024, January 7). I agree that library staff need to be very flexible these days to keep up with the needs of our customers. [Comment on blog post “OLJ Task 8: Defining Information Professionals in the Digital Era”]. Tyrone Tornabene’s INF506 Reflective Blog. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/tyronetornabeneinf506/2023/12/20/olj-task-8-defining-information-professionals-in-the-digital-era/

Me and my shadow. (n.d.). Take control of your data. https://myshadow.org/

Pelletier, K., Brown, M., Brooks, D.C., McCormack, M., Reeves, J., & Arbino, N. (2021). 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report 2021: Teaching and Learning Edition. EDUCAUSE. https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2021/4/2021hrteachinglearning.pdf

Tella, A., & Kadri Kehinde, K. (2021). Big data and academic libraries: is it big for something or big for nothing? Library Hi Tech News, 38(2), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-07-2020-0069

Warner, C. (2024, January 10). Hi Tyrone, thanks for this great summary! I, too, am really interested in the way AI may infiltrate organisational decisions. [Comment on blog post “OLJ Task 2: The influence of technology on society”]. Tyrone Tornabene’s INF506 Reflective Blog. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/tyronetornabeneinf506/2023/12/09/olj-task-2/

We Are Social. (2021). Digital 2021: Global Overview Report. https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2021/01/digital-2021-uk/?mc_cid=ed509b472e&mc_eid=632bbf90f7

The fight against bad sources is familiar to information professionals (IP), although never has it been as pervasive as it is today (Anderson, 2018). Fake news, as it is often referred to today, is defined as false and sensational information which has been disseminated as news reporting (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). Fake news has existed under different aliases; misinformation, conspiracy, and propaganda to name a few (Anderson, 2018). The key difference between fake news and misinformation however, lies in the intent. The creation of fake news is to intentionally disperse false information, but misinformation is the intentional or unintentional spread of untrue information.

In covid-19, we saw what was known as an ‘infodemic’, where there is an abhorrent overflow of false information everywhere (Madukwe, 2023). The dissemination of this misinformation has spread fastest through social media websites. The digital age has sped up the process of creating and disseminating misinformation. Contributing factors include the low cost of distributing digital information, the amount of information a person encounters daily in the digital age, and the wide array of tools available for creating fake information such as artificial intelligence (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). I cannot tackle the issue of misinformation in 2024, without associating the innate ties it has to social media.

Information professionals are trained in the art of evaluating information and determining the appropriateness and validity of it (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). Therefore, I would assume it is then our responsibility to the public as public servants to commit these skills to the public good. Who better to catch fake news than professionals who are trained to do so? The question circulating the information sector is not whether IP’s can identify misinformation, but rather, should they? (Andermann, 2023). It has been an irate debate over the maintaining the neutrality of information organisations vs educating the community. It is odd to perceive how these two goals have become somewhat opposing ideas, but the issue of neutrality is one still being actively discussed in academia today.

ALIA’s (2018, p. 1) statement on public library services identifies the aim as “to reduce any barriers to engagement for people from diverse backgrounds and to promote equity of access to information, activities and resources.” Therein lies the dilemma. If the mission of an information organisation is to meet as many people’s needs as possible, and provide equity of information, then some forms of combating misinformation may politicize the organization and erode the public’s trust in them (Andermann, 2023). The answer is a balance between the two. Information organisations must commit to provision of accurate information whilst remaining neutral enough to not turn patrons away due to confirmation bias and personal views (Andermann, 2023).

In essence, misinformation is an emotional issue, not a rational one (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). There are dozens of studies about how education is the best tool against misinformation. There are recommendations for literacy programs in schools, media literacy programs in public libraries, but very little information on how to actively get patrons to these programs. Adermann (2023, p. 31) conducted interviews on six of Sweden’s largest libraries on the role public libraries have in countering misinformation, and the interviews determined that often the patrons who need these programs are least likely to attend them due to confirmation bias. As I read this study, I thought; if the issue of misinformation is emotional and layered in confirmation bias, how can IP’s use social media to draw the attention of those that need it?

IP’s are not immune to misinformation on social media, and it has been long proven that individual perception is not enough to catch fake news in its tracks (Andermann, 2023). Alongside their individual skillsets, IP’s also need collegial discussions and forthright institutional social media policy regarding misinformation (Andermann, 2023).

After scouring multiple information organisation’s social media policy, very little can be found in the way of misinformation, or fake news. Rather, public libraries especially, take the firm stand on neutrality that they always have. The Cook Memorial Public Library District (2021) presented vague recommendations for employees to present content including checking their facts, citing sources, and presenting factual responses.

Even amongst academic libraries such as RMIT or CSU, there is significant lack of clarification of how to deal with misinformation. Academic libraries are functioning parts of the university they belong to, and so their policies dictate a strong deterrence in not expressing an opinion which can negatively impact their reputation. In that regard, the library’s use of social media remains very rooted in marketing the many services the library can provide, but it is not a place of advocacy in itself.

Automated systems are gaining popularity in their capacity to quickly identify misinformation online (Komendantova et al., 2021). Several popular tools for countering misinformation are Botometer, Foller.me, TinEye, Insigna, Fakespot, Newsguard, and Social Sensor (Komendantova et al., 2021). An observation of Komendantova et al’s (2021) study noted the automated tools cannot be used in isolation. They must work alongside increased societal awareness. Information organisations could be the much-needed stakeholders to increase awareness of these automated systems via broad social media campaigns whilst providing educational resources for the public to conduct evaluative research themselves (Komendantova et al., 2021).

Part of the great success of misinformation, is the visual nature of it (Ireland, 2018). Visual information can stay with certain user’s far longer than written or verbal information (Ireland, 2018). Memes are competing for users’ attentions, and Ireland (2018) suggests IP’s use the appeal of visual information to our advantage. An example of this is the Newseum ED ‘Is This Story Share-Worthy’ flowchart, which breaks down the accuracy and validity of a potential source through various quick considerations (Ireland, 2018, p. 126). Memes and flowcharts designed creatively by information professionals may help to turn the tide by appealing to a sense of immediacy instead of long walls of text or recommendations for educational programs.

IPs need to address the ways social media can be used as a tool to combat misinformation, as opposed to singularly a tool to market the services of their organization. While maintaining the neutrality of their status, there is certainly more which can be done to battle misinformation. On the topic of misinformation, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library (2020) stated, “The mission of the Library remains unchanged: to help citizens and researchers identify and locate timely, credible and trustworthy information; the tools of the trade, however, have changed.”

Word count: 1070.

Reference List

Andermann, B. H. (2023). The Role of Public Libraries in Countering Misinformation : A Swedish Perspective [Student thesis, DiVA]. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-30693

Anderson, K. E. (2018). Getting acquainted with social networks and apps: combating fake news on social media. Library Hi Tech News, 35(3), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-02-2018-0010

Australian Library and Information Association. (2018). Statement on public library services. ALIA. https://read.alia.org.au/statement-public-library-services

Cook Memorial Public Library District. (2021). Social Media Policy. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://www.cooklib.org/social-media-policy/

Dag Hammarskjöld Library. (2020, August). The Contribution of Libraries to the Fight Against Misinformation. United Nations. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://research.un.org/conferences/webinars

Ireland, S. (2018). Fake news alerts: Teaching news literacy skills in a meme world. The Reference Librarian, 59(3), 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2018.1463890

Komendantova, N., Ekenberg, L., Svahn, M., Larsson, A., Shah, S. I. H., Glinos, M., Koulolias, V., & Danielson, M. (2021). A value-driven approach to addressing misinformation in social media. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00702-9

Madukwe, A. (2023). Infodemics: The Role of Librarians in Countering Fake News. International Journal of Library and Information Studies, 13(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/0.35248/2231-4911.23.13.839

Taylor & Francis. (n.d.). Librarians and Fake News: “Trust me, I’m a librarian!” Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/insights/librarian-skills-development/librarians-and-fake-news/