Final Portfolio
Throughout this semester in my Digital Writing for Social Action class I have learned and gained so much new knowledge on the digital world, the importance of hyperlinking, the rise of misinformation, fake news, fact checking, and so much more. Each topic that we discussed shaped me into the digital citizen and writer that I am today.
At the beginning of the year we started off by talking about the digital world and how digital media is completely changing the way people live their lives. According to the “Mediated Me” slides presentation on slide 5 “Digital Media not only changes the spaces we use to read, write, research, participate, connect, communicate…it actually changes HOW we do — and can do — these things.” It is less common for people to go to a library in person to find a book on something they are researching because we now have access to so many different types of digital libraries and other tools that will help us find information so quickly. Digital media provides people with so many different tools and platforms that completely change how we do tasks such as writing, researching, finding jobs, content creating, and we also now have access to so much information at our fingertips.
One of our homework assignments was to read Jones and Hafner Chapter 1 called Meditated Me. Reading this article allowed me to open my mind and think deeper on how digital technology and media have changed our current literacy practices. One aspect of this is the way people now have a harder time staying interested in something they are reading or watching. Social media platforms are a very popular form of digital media that are the cause of people’s short attention spans. The social media app TikTok is a great example of this. TikTok is an app where people from all over the world have the freedom to create their own short videos as well as watch the content that other people share. According to SG Analytics, “Due to TikTok, kids and teenagers have access to copious amounts of information that is conveyed through 30 — second videos. This has led to their brain losing the ability to focus longer to absorb information, thereby reducing their attention span.” This goes to show how strategic people must be with the entertainment and information they release. If the video posted does not catch the viewers attention in the first 5 seconds then it will lead to them scrolling to the next video. This idea of needing to grasp people’s attention quickly can also relate to writer’s needing to start their writing strong so the reader will continue reading their piece.
Thinking back at an in class free write we did January 31 I was able to think deeper into my relationship with social media and the impact it truly has on my life. Social media has definitely changed and shaped my thinking. My followers might get the impression that I do not care what I post because I always say that it is just for fun and I only use it as a way to express myself. Although I do have so much fun playing around with all the different aspects social media has to offer, deep down I do care about the impression I am giving to those who might come across my page. I try to craft all my social media platforms in a way that people can have the best sense of who I am as a person. I also carefully and strategically plan out what my next post will be and what the best time to post is that will get me the most likes. To some people this concept might seem so shallow of me to say but it is the truth. I am not the only person to think this way.
Although my social media might seem as if I am always happy all the time, this is simply not the case. Social media is fake! It is so easy to pretend to be someone you are not and to show only the good parts of your life. I have struggled with comparing my life with someone else’s life I see on social media which then leads to me having a low self esteem. This way of thinking is horrible for my mental health. I try to remind myself that not everything is always as it seems. Viewers need to be aware that news they see on social media might not be the entire story or it might be completely fake. This problem that people receive false information and become tricked into believing this information is true then spreading this misinformation to other people needs to be talked about more.
Misinformation is all around us. It goes beyond just social media. I have always struggled to determine what information is true and what is completely made up. I am very gullible and often contribute to the spread of misinformation. I also had no idea until this semester when I learned all about misinformation and the importance of fact checking that so many of the techniques I was taught by my teachers in previous years are considered “bad techniques.” Two examples of these techniques that I recently found out are not correct at all are that websites are trustworthy if they contain little to no ads and that I should put more trust in websites that end in .org rather than .com. I am so happy I am aware of this and now know what are the good techniques to follow and what are the bad techniques to forget.
Check Please! Lesson One introduces people to the importance of using SIFT. SIFT is made up of four important moves to use to evaluate the information people may come across online. It is so important to apply these steps to ensure you are not becoming fooled by false information. The first step of SIFT is to stop and think. It is important to first determine if you trust the website or the source you have come across before even beginning to gather the information or share it to anyone. The second step is to investigate the source. This step is meant to have you research and learn more information on the source you came across. How trustworthy is this source you are about to take time to read? According to Check Please! Lesson One, “the key idea is to know what you are reading before you read it.” The next step to take is to find trusted coverage. The point of this third step is to see if other sources, trusted reportings, or analysis besides the one you came across are talking about the same claim that you are looking at. The last step is to trace the claims, quotes, and media back to the original context. It is so important to determine if the context of what you were reading was accurately presented or if there was context that was stripped away. Finding the original context will help you to determine this. An extra tip that the Check Please! Lesson 2–3 slides provides is some fact checking sites to use. My personal favorite is FactCheck.org, however other options are Snopes and Politifact. These sites are very useful to go to whenever you are unsure about information you come across.
I have learned so much this year about the importance of why conscientious digital citizenship is vital for public writers. One of the duties of a public writer is to be responsible for everything they put out into the world. They need to be 100% sure that all the information is accurate, avoiding misinformation, and they need to remain respectful of all the different opinions people may have. Secondly, the writer must maintain credibility with their audience. It is so important for the writer to build a strong bond of trust with their audience. Including being trustworthy it is equally as important for public writers to have a positive attitude, be aware of their presence online and how they are interacting with other online users, and not forgetting about the important laws to follow such as copyright laws. Overall, conscientious digital citizenship helps public writers create a healthier online environment for everyone.
Looking back at all the information that stood out to me and everything I want to remember from my Digital Writing for Social Action class makes me feel so proud of how much I have truly accomplished. I have always loved to write but have never had the confidence to share my work. Medium is a place I had never used before and was quite intimidated by at first. This was the website my class used to publish our blog posts throughout the year and our short form feature story. Knowing that all my classmates as well as whoever else is on Medium could view my work was so scary. What if they say something mean about the way I write or make fun of something I said? It took some time to get comfortable and allow myself to be vulnerable. However, because this website is interactive I was able to see all the nice comments and claps that people would send me. This made me feel less scared to showcase who I am through my writing. This class has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and has shown me the type of digital writer that I am capable of being. I am ready to take everything I learned and continue to apply it to everything I do in the future. Thank you so much Dr. Richard for everything you have done for me and all my classmates.
