Module 5 - The postening (part 1)

Social Networking module five looked at the policy demands of social media and the ever-shifting nature of attempting to cater to its implications.

 

The module was divided into four sections:

1. Digital convergence, trends and shifts
2. Social media implications and contexts
3. Identity, privacy, security and trust
4. The challenge of finding authentic information in a socially networked world

This post and the one after it will function as a holding space for my notes and observations re: the tasks associated with each section, as well as have a rant/reflection about the policy implication of social media in the workplace (both generally and in a library context). 

Digital convergence, trends and shifts

Summarising Did You Know 4.0 (data current to October 2009):

• Print media circulation is terminal (a decline of 7 million in 25 years is horrifying considering the population has increased since then) while online readership is up to 30 million in just 5 years; meanwhile traditional media (within print, television and radio) advertising is experiencing double figure declines while mobile web and personal computing browsing advertising is experiencing 18% and 9% growth
• more audiovisual content was uploaded to YouTube in 2 months than the totality of content aired to date by the three major TV networks of the USA since 1948 - those decades-old, established networks attract only 10 million unique visitors to their websites  versus 250 million unique visitors for MySpace/Facebook/YouTube
• 95% of songs downloaded in 2008 were not paid for, meanwhile 93% of USAmericans own mobiles but one third don’t feel safe using them for purchases (except pizza delivery)
• Political fundraising in the USA is more efficient via social networking eg: McCain’s Presidential fundraising in February 2008 raised $11 million from regular fundraisers b vs the $55 million raised by Obama who used social media networks
• 17% of the largest USA companies have disciplined employees for violating social media policies

The primary messages I took away from viewing the video Did You Know 4.0 was that social media was growing and soon to be deeply embedded aspect of the socio-political landscape within the USA, and that organisations will need to develop policies to regulate their responses to employee behaviours as the employees participate in this new medium. Soon (if not already) it will be more common for employees to open a Facebook page during their lunch break than a newspaper, and whether or not employers allow their employees to use the web from work PCs is irrelevant to prevent such access as by 2020 mobile web will be the primary means of accessing the web.
So where to from here? Given the issues raised in the video, a starting point for organisations would bel social media policies that incorporate the following potential solutions:

• The phasing out of anonymous use of work PCs, as open access to organisational resources leaves organisations vulnerable to liability for common illegal behaviours such as the download and upload of pirated media, download/upload of banned content (such as homemade explosive assembly instructions,  child abuse material, etc), and the generation of defamatory content and/or cyberbullying activities;
• Permitting employees to use work PCs during times of non-peak demand and/or when use will not interfere with their duties (eg: during lunch breaks, or after a day’s work quota has been reached);
• All employees must include (if they are to identify themselves as an employee of the organisation on a social network) text in their account profile (or where applicable) indicating that the content generated by them on this account (be it videos uploaded, comments made, political group affiliations declared, etc) are their own and not the product of the employing organisation (except where appropriate, eg: corporate spokespeople).

Of course, one convergence that the video didn’t talk about was the notion of social media networks causing the divide between work time and personal time to blur, but I’ll be getting to that shortly.

Social media implications and contexts
Bertot, Jaeger et al (2009) conducted a survey into the role public libraries as a core provider of internet service to the public, including access and literacy services, and the counter-claim that such a development sees public libraries evolving away from their status as a learning and community syupport centre towards a provider of alleged entertainment facilities. The affect of the Global Financial  Crisis (as usual for a USA publication referred to as “the unprecedented economic downturn”) is mentioned initially as stirring intense demand for the frequently free internet services offered by libraries, statistics from the survey measured adequacy of internet services to meet demand which appeared to be soaring in areas most affected by the downturn and fast outpacing the resources provided to libraries.
The survey found that libraries were the only source of free internet access in three quarters of communities - a shocking statistic - and implied that one strategy that libraries could pursue to stretch their resources further would be to restrict access to social networking sites...which would notiobnally free up time for education, training and job-seekers but which ignores the emerging likelyhood that the latter are more likely to be successful in their search if they have access to and maintain their social networks!
Jenkins, Clinton et al (2006) talks about the emerging online participatory culture wherein social status , connections, skills and empowerment is derived from affilliations, expression spaces, collaborations and information flows enabled by online communities.The paper discusses the emerging policy problems of unequal access, susceptibility to media propaganda and the ethical problems of deprofessionalisation and de-centralisation of editorial authority (and “Old Empire” concept wherein MSM editorial authority is, apparently, desirable). The paper also discusses the skills and competencies needed for the development of young citizens’ into full participants in the new online culture, and offers justification for direct changes to current teaching methodologies that may be stuck with material catered for the old paradigm of community engagement and citizen activism.