Social networking

Using Diigo I applied to join a group called Ethical Issues in America. I want to join it primarily because of my activism in the anti-death penalty movement but other issues are discussed including euthanasia, gay marriage, "designer babies" - or what I would call the new eugenics. Everything discussed in this group proceeds from an ethical, human rights perspective. Such a group allows for the consideration of important issues such as does one have the right to end one's own life if one is suffering from a disease for which there is no cure and only extreme suffering awaits the patient until death. Perhaps the most fundamental question that pervades this group would be where does the state's power end with relation to the right of the individual to exercise her ownership over her body.

In my assessment the appeal for young and not so young to participate in networking sites lies in a very basic human need: connection. Connection of course can manifest in many ways. The most common connection I would offer that comes to most people's minds in terms of social networking would be to connect with friends. There was a time not so long ago when maintaining existing connections was rather limited to phone calls, physical visits and this antiquated process called "writing a letter.: ;) Yet, social networking has allowed connection based upon mutual interests. Sites like LinkedIn have proven to be invaluable alternatives to the resume scattershot approach in that headhunters have access to posted resumes and prospective job seekers have more exposure to possible jobs due to the fact that social networks are webs of people that are really intricate, complex connections in which communication is fostered.

I really hadn't given much thought to social networking in terms of education before this week's assignment. Yet on reflection and keeping with my assertion that connection lies at the very core of social networking, I can imagine how social networking can be used to create a group in which the social networking site can serve as a forum for persons exploring a common theme. Because networking sites allow for a number of approaches for sharing information, PLEs can easily be created - and monitored. Even Facebook would be an interesting platform and there are many such connected group entities already existing there.

Most of my time in social networks involves human rights issues. This year I get the unique perspective of viewing America from my new home in Europe. It is an election year and on the death penalty front, two more states are on the verge of abolishing it. (N.B. The death penalty is forbidden in the EU and in fact membership in the EU carries many conditions, and one of the most important of these is that a country may not practice capital punishment nor can it have a capital punishment statute on its books for any reason. Belarus for example has not been accepted into the EU because it has not abolished capital punishment). As I had stated in my first paragraph, there are other issues besides the death penalty that interest me as well. I believe in the power of knowledge as an effective agent for change and I believe that knowledge is far more effective than guns to influence thought and bring about paradigm shifts. Human rights has been a global issue since the formation of the UN as a response to the atrocities of Nazi Germany. Social networking creates - to borrow a term from author Marshall McLuhan - a global village in which awareness of human rights abuses can be raised and change can be effected. I also spend a considerable amount of time in social networks involving such diverse topics as animal rights, environmental issues, baseball, music, and magic as a performance art. As a side note, I find social networks to be fertile ground for interesting anthropological study and I hope to explore social networks from an anthropological perspective because education IS an area of interest anthropologically as anthropology is the study of culture.

I would say that the benefits of spending time in these networks would be for the reasons I have noted thus far in this blog entry. The drawbacks would be that there is a danger of developing a blindness/deafness to arguments from the other side of every issue. For instance, spending time in purely anti-death penalty focused groups would not allow me to read/hear what the other side has to say about this issue. From a more prosaic standpoint, the overwhelming amount of information out there on any given issue makes organization a bit of a challenge. Yes, we have wonderful technologies that can do most of the work for us with just a point and a click as in Diigo for instance but even with these technologies, meaningful (read thoughtful and reflective) engagement of the vast amount of material is still overwhelming. There is also I believe the importance of recognizing that social networks are comprised of individuals each with differing learning styles and as such, communication becomes an exercise in balancing efficiency with in-depth content.

Best,
Joe

PS: Pictures are coming soon from The Netherlands. There is an amazing monument to Raoul Wallenberg who saved many Jews from the Nazis. The memorial is in Gouda which itself is quite picturesque in its medieval charm.