Final Portfolio
Throughout this semester, we learned about Web 2.0. Before taking the Digital Writing for Social Action course, I had never understood it. I had a feeling that it related to digital media and technology. Digital media and technology are very prominent today, especially since we always have technology at our fingertips and use it almost in our everyday tasks. I constantly use technology, such as watching TV, working on my laptop, and using my phone. Plus, we are surrounded by digital media, continually using it or looking at it one way or another. I honestly don’t remember not having these things around because they have almost been a daily norm and lifestyle. It is sad to say, but it’s the truth, and sometimes I wonder what the world would be like without it, but there are also many benefits to having it be a part of our lives.
In this class, we learned about how Web 2.0 is used and can be beneficial, as well as its downsides. Plus, I use the web and technology daily and will use it for the rest of my life. I have learned about what it means to be a digital citizen and some of the practices. However, I have used some practices before this class without realizing it because I didn’t know what they were until now. The practices I learned about and used before this class are social interaction, online social language, social networking, and how to brainstorm.
Learning about social interaction and online language, I had already understood a little about it. Still, I never fully understood how it plays a vital part in the web, our daily social lives, and how it can impact us on social media. These two things are essential to know, especially as a digital citizen. Social interaction is a significant factor in today’s daily lives because social media has become more critical. For example, we use Instagram, Facebook, X ( Twitter ), TikTok, and Snapchat. We use these social media platforms for personal use, but companies use them today to promote their business and sometimes shoot behind the scenes. Alongside social interaction comes understanding online language and how to utilize it significantly to help your company. What stuck out to me when learning about online language is that language can impact someone’s opinion and how they identify you. This semester, we watched a TED Talk by Monica Lewinsky called “The Price of Shame.” In the TED Talk, she talked about her story, the negativity she had received through social media, and how that has impacted her. People were unafraid to speak about her, especially on social media. Even though online language can have benefits, it can also have adverse effects. Since social media is so easily accessible, you can not escape it. Social media can quickly reach a broad audience and spread news and opinions. That’s why the online language we use is essential to understanding what we say, plays a significant role, and makes an impact, whether for the good or the bad. Social interaction and online language also play a role in social networking.
Social networking involves a lot of change. It changes our thoughts about privacy, identity, time and place, information attention, and connection ability. Social networking allows us to share information and connect with others on a broader scale, whether through social media platforms, instant messenger, chat rooms, or sharing information online. Regarding social media, how we think about privacy plays a significant role. For example, when we create an account, we are sometimes allowed to decide whether to make our accounts private. However, we must think that what we put on the internet is always private, even if we believe it is. It’s because people can repost and share things. Another aspect of social networking is we have to consider time and place. There is a correct way to post and share things, but we also must consider where we are putting out information, who will be viewing it, and whether it reaches the right people. Also, information attention is vital in social networking because you want to ensure you gain the correct information and not share or spread misinformation when uncertain. Lastly, the ability to connect goes along with social networking. I mentioned earlier that we have technology at our fingertips, which means that because it’s so easily accessible, we can be on social media more wherever we are. When it comes to social networking and creating content it involves brainstorming, which I also learned in class and has benefitted me when creating content and drafting papers and context.
Brainstorming is essential and beneficial when doing any work. For example, brainstorming involves writing papers, creating content, and writing a feature story. This semester, we were assigned to write a short feature story on a civic issue for our final blog post. It required me to brainstorm and research my civic issue of choice, which I chose to do about special education in public schools, published on my page. When I first picked this topic of choice, I had to think about how to deliver it best, where I could gather information and the main points I wanted to cover. We also had to learn how to pitch our short feature stories for publication, which also involved brainstorming what we would say. I looked at the other types of stories written and published to ensure that my writing fit the criteria of the stories typically published on this page. Then, I began to brainstorm and create an outline for my short story, which I enjoyed writing about because that topic is remarkable and very close to me.
Overall, this semester, I have learned a lot about social interaction, online social language, social networking, and how to brainstorm. I also learned more than that, but those things stuck out. I also discovered that I enjoyed writing blog posts each week and that it didn’t feel like just another assignment. I enjoyed writing them and having the freedom to write about topics of my choice, whether that was personal, current events, or an interest. I also feel that learning these skills and writing these blog posts will benefit my future career. Mainly because I think these blog posts have helped strengthen my writing.
