I've always enjoyed... (social) media, especially the 'creation' part of it. For most social media I use, I began first as a creator, using the platforms to express myself FOR MYSELF. At the beginning of this class, I was excited to possibly excel as a social media artist and bridge my self-expression creator self into a social media content creator/influencer... As the weeks went by and I pushed-pushed, created, interacted, explored... caught covid, had long covid, and watched as Roe V Wade overturned, I hadn't realized that I was living in a dark dark cloud of networkisms. The moment I received the 12am email from Dr. Dennen that it was respite/detox week, I felt that cloud lift. I can't begin to explain how awakened I feel from this 'Detox' assignment. I truly learned something about myself, that a career in social media IS NOT FOR ME. I enjoy content creation... I do not enjoy the hive of social media, even now, as I return, much rested from a week off, I can feel the stormy clouds beginning to surround my mind again...
First of all, please clear the clouds for a few more weeks. I enjoy reading your blog, and I need you to keep providing me with your insights. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that social media is a lot of work! It's funny because when I ask my middle school students what they want to be, a lot of them say they want to be social media personalities. I guess that social media is doing its job, they think that being Insta famous is easy. The next time a kid says this to me, I am going to have more to say. They need to know about communication, how to curate material, privacy, online presence, etc. I won't discard this like I used to, but I want them to know, a social media career isn't easy.
ReplyDeleteMy friend, thank you for your kind words and insightful reflections. I will truck along with the best of us through the final weeks of the semester, and hopefully beyond... but maybe with revised systems! I appreciate you!
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