Identify the Risks and Benefits of Engaging with A Public Audience in A Media Space – What Are the Risks for A Public Figure or Person in A Position of Trust (Educator, Lawyer, Government Official)?

The benefits associated with engaging with a public audience are endless. Social media is a space where anyone can show their presence. Users can come from all parts of the world and different backgrounds but still have the ability to connect with one another. Users can express how they feel, their opinions, and ideas online to their audience which is their followers. Social is where everything is being communicated or broadcasted nowadays. From protests, movements, and just social issues are being talked about on social media, and it is seen as the primary stop for staying up to date for current events in the world.

However, with all that being said there can be downfalls to users who have a larger following and are seen as public figures. For one, the content that they post have a bigger impact than someone like me, for instance if they put out incorrect information there will be significant repercussions and users may attack the public figure and they may be “cancelled”. Whereas if I were to accidently post incorrect information on my Instagram account where my friends and family primarily follow me, they would politely bring it to my attention. Due to the fact that public figures have a big outreach and following they are under a microscope and everyone is always waiting for a moment where they mess up to call them out. For someone like an educator, chances are students will search you up on the internet and because of that, it is important to have a professional presence online where there isn’t inappropriate or immature content. It can hinder the chances of an educator getting hired for a job and it can make students or their parents uncomfortable. A person of trust can tarnish their reputation within a blink of an eye, just like Jody Vance stated, “it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and a heartbreak to break it”. Always beware of what you are posting, and always have the mind set of this will forever be on the internet even if I (the user) delete it from my page.

 

How to Best Address Negative Replies and Critiques Reflective of Your Personal Values and Employer Social Media Policy?

At the end of they day, not everyone is going to agree with you, your opinions, or values. Being aware and conscience of that is an essential step in dealing with negativity from others. However, if the negativity is based upon social injustices, racism, or sexism, etc. I personally would not tolerate the negativity; I would initially hear the other person out as to why they feel that way and then proceed to educate them in a respectful manner and hope that they can see where they are wrong. If that does not work, I feel it is best to turn your cheek and carry on or block and delete them or the comment. Even if the negativity stemed from a different type issue, my process would be the same, try to hear the other party out, voice my opinion to hopefully have them see my point of view and if they still cannot agree to disagree, simply block or delete and carry on. If an employer did not agree with my personal values or what I was posting I would politely say something along the lines of “thank you for bringing this to my attention, I will look more into it”.

 

How Do Notable Individuals Use Social Media?

Notable users utilize their platform on social media to promote themselves or their products onto their audience which are their followers. Users are able to get sponsored and paid by brands to talk and promote their products in hopes that their followers will buy the items. They can also use their platform to spread awareness and be an activist on issues that they believe in and see occurring in the world. Or they just post content of themselves, there life, and random things that they do or are interested in – like how majority of us regular people do.

 

What Are the Benefits of Being in The Public Eye and Having A PLN?

The benefits associated with being in the public eye and having a PLN is you are able to voice your opinion to the masses while also being able to make an income for yourself. Influencers can gain partnerships or sponsorships to promote a company’s product or something along the lines of that and in return the influencer gets paid, and the company had exposure to the influencers followers in hopes in them buying the item that was promoted. Another benefit that comes along with being an influencer is that they are seen as trusted individuals which is why company’s want to work with them. With their outreach they are also able to promote awareness on important issues and causes.

 

Building Community with Online Tools Provided by The Employer Can Be Limiting, What Are the Perceived Restrictions and Benefits?

From personal experience, the online tools that I have been provided from my employer is a private Facebook page for all the employees to connect and engage with each other on. The benefits are that we all stay up to data with what is going on with the clinic, for instance any upcoming workshops or events. We all have the ability to talk to one another. However, the restrictions that I have come across is that you still have to present yourself in a professional manner, at least I find myself doing that. In a sense I hold back the “real me” to maintain professionalism. I also don’t participate much on the page and I don’t think the others do either besides the occasional thumbs up on a post. I really only see administration posting content on the page and no one else does.

 

Delivering Information in A Connected Society Requires Verifiable Resources, How to Build A PLN To Rely On?

To build a PLN that you can rely and depend on requires gaining trust from the people that are already in your PLN. Everyone needs to be receptive to each other’s opinions and ideas. In addition to that, everyone needs to be open and honest because that is how you build trust within your PLN and hopefully that would play a big factor in the future expansion and growth of your PLN.

 

How Do Those, Who Are Veteran Storytellers, Minimize the Risk of Sharing Misinformation?

Veteran storytellers can begin by stopping the spread of misinformation and being mindful of that. Or beforehand, explicitly staring that parts of this story may be incorrect or embellished in some parts then that way everyone has the mindset of this is not fully factual information that I am listening to. Honesty is the best policy and also applies to situations like these and informing your audience.

 

References:

Hirst, M. (2018). Social Journalism and the Gig Economy. Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism. Ch. 6.(pp. 142-143). New York, NY: Routledge.

Vance, Jody & Miller, J. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 03 – 21 JODY VANCE.” 03 Mar. 2021. doi: https://.youtube.com/watchv=dgZOJgJKdyl&feature=youtu.be