How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?

Public discourse plays a big role in social media. There are advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that people can communicate better and convey their ideas. The disadvantage is that some bad comments can make other people feel uncomfortable and can affect other people’s feelings. It also involves personal privacy to a certain extent. There are pros and cons, so it is challenging.

How diverse is your existing PLN?

I didn’t have much contact with PLN before. Basically, I communicated with teachers or classmates through phone messages and emails. Since I started teaching online, my PLN has become more diverse, and I can choose different ways to communicate with teachers or classmates, which has become very convenient. For example, when we use zoom in class, we can communicate with teachers and classmates by voice on zoom. Outside the classroom, we can not only use e-mail, but also use Microsoft team, mattermost to communicate. My PLN has become diversified and convenient.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices?

I think in my PLN, I can learn from different voices. In my PLN, my classmates and friends are a big family. We all come from all over the world, and we all have our own language, customs and culture. We learned different things from it, and we can also introduce and pass on the customs and culture of my own country to them.

How does social media engage in advocacy communications?

In my opinion, social media is inseparable from propaganda, and social media is an important facility for propaganda and communication. For example, all kinds of advertisements are using social media for publicity and communication. Social media has also increased the spread of information between people, making it easier to meet other friends.

Reference

Media & Social Justice http://ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/login?url=http://www.palgraveconnect.com/doifinder/10.1057/9780230119796 

Bakshy, Rosenn, Marlow, & Adamic (2012, April). The role of social networks in information diffusion. In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on World Wide Web (pp. 519-528). ACM.  doi: 10.1145/2187836.2187907