tomrowledge

Digging more into the concept of online identities through discussions in this topic has been insightful. Previously, I had strong preconceived notions of the most appropriate way to represent yourself through an online identity – a significant preference for adopting multiple identities to represent myself accordingly to disparate groups of people. There are a myriad of advantages to doing so as detailed in a wide range of sources: (Smarty, 2009), (Rowledge, 2018). Continue reading →

What is in an identity? How we represent ourselves online has for many years been in the public eye – stretching as far back to 1993 when Peter Steiner drew a cartoon depicting a dog using a computer: “On the internet, no-one knows you’re a dog” (Fleishman, 2000). Continue reading →

The process of understanding and analysing online information has been to some extent always in the public eye in various forms – right back to the development of trust in online communities during the formation of the web as we know it (Hoffman, Novak and Peralta, 1999). Given the attention on Fake News as provided by the media, looking at how we can analyse online content for its authenticity is a vital topic for the users of the web today. Continue reading →

A recent study from Columbia University reveals a frightening statistic; 59% of shared links online have never been opened (Gabielkov et al., 2016). The subsequent impact that an entirely fictitious title can have – such as this blog title – can, therefore, contribute largely to the fake news pandemic as this article(Dewey, 2016) alludes to. Continue reading →

Having not previously looked at the concept of Digital Differences, this topic was a deeply interesting one to explore. One of the most useful resources at my disposal for analysing how I might be placed on the ‘continuum’ of low to high levels of digital literacy – and thus impacted by a digital divide – was the FutureLearn MOOC. The discussion which arose from my question on whether Digital Differences tend to be purely negative. Continue reading →

Living on the web has a clear set of identifiable advantages, as covered last week on my blog. However, when access to the web is difficult this has a detrimental effect on individuals (Robinson et al., 2015); thus leading to digital differences. This then reflects inequalities within society onto the web (Badger, 2013) – which in turn allows us to understand how macro factors can play into digital differences. Continue reading →

The beginning of this module has facilitated a significant amount of thought on the concept of ‘Digital Literacy’. This topic has coincided perfectly with delivering sessions on Digital Literacy to first-year Business students, as alluded to in my first post. Continue reading →

Understanding digital literacy is an increasingly important skill as we are more and more dependant upon utilising the internet for professional and social reasons. Through a high level of Digital Literacy – synonymous with being a ‘Digital Resident’, we are empowered with higher social presence allowing for online activities within communities, or engagement thus facilitating networked learning. Continue reading →