Colleen Shaw LIS 490 This course has greatly expanded my perception of how social media impacts our

global society in just about every aspect culturally, socially, economically, politically and interpersonally. I valued the opportunity to learn from and interact with guest lecturers from around the world who come from many different professions and interests. I thought this was the best and most intriguing way to address specific issues within social media. Overall, I was comfortable with the structure and organization of the class but would have appreciated more dialogue between participants. The following two suggestions are ways I believe the class could support more interaction and reflection in the future. First, by reserving at least 10 minutes before the speaker begins to provide a brief overview of their topic and to address any concerns or questions about the readings or coursework. I feel the course would be more balanced by reserving this time to function as a class without the lecturer. Second, I think everyone would have attained a richer experience from the lectures by posting regularly on the forums, myself included. As an incentive to remind students to participate in post-class discussion there could be a sign up sheet at the beginning of class in which students commit to at least 3 topics they would like to post on. The remaining 2 required posts could remain open so that students could feel free to post on certain issues or concerns that were brought up during the lecture. As a side detail, I think the idea to organize the lectures by topic would have a positive impact on the flow of the course. Over the course of the semester, I wrote roughly 20 pages of notes from lectures and readings. In reviewing the content I am overwhelmed by concepts,

Colleen Shaw LIS 490 themes and issues surrounding the extensive topic of social media and how it has changed our world. Three particular themes resonated with me more then others and have either challenged or changed my former perspective. The first theme is the Internets impact on activism, the second is democracy in the age of social media and the third is equal and unbiased representation of marginalized populations on certain platforms. Exploring the topic of the impact of social media on activism, it seems there are various levels of dependence on this tool that could influence the outcome of use in different ways. As Gaby pointed out in her reading and lecture, social media platforms such as Facebook grant social movement groups the ability to promote solidarity within their agenda by posting images and videos and linking to news stories. The use of social media in this case is valued as a unique and powerful tool used to disseminate these messages along with posts that can organize efforts to mobilize outside the web. Alternatively, the exclusive use of social media, as Wedig points out, can lead to a false perception of technology as an independent variable that propagates change. Considering both sides, it seems the best formula for social movements to promote change in the digital age is a mixture of technology and efforts on the ground. Gladwell refers to strategies that require the physical interaction of activists as strong-tie, high-risk activism. Wedig confirms that movements are the most successful with a boots on the ground operation in conjunction with social media platforms to work as a communicator and multiplier of efforts.

Colleen Shaw LIS 490 My perspective was also challenged by information regarding the impact of new media on democracy. As in the case of post-soviet Russia, the role of new media to manipulate the public in an attempt to establish a managed democracy can have chilling consequences. Considering the spread of misinformation by the media, whether it is intentional or unintentional, the ability for powerful corporations to finance the candidate that serves their needs and the dominant position of lobbyists to make policy changes, western democratic political campaigns are a prime example of these negative consequences. During our campus day, we discussed the Obama administrations petitioning forum We the People and its attempt to use social media in a positive way to close the widening gap between government and the public. Unfortunately, this can also have the reverse effect on democracy. As journalist Evgeny Morozov considers, the use social media can actually legitimize oppressive government because it implies inclusion of the peoples voice into decision-making without the mandate to act on it. It can also create a cyber-hedonistic effect by the illusion of activism through signing online petitions and circulating images and information that do not directly lead to engagement or real change. As a prospective academic librarian, this discussion has fueled my desire to use my future position to encourage the use of more civic engagement opportunities for students. Direct democracy forums or community based research and problemsolving initiatives are examples of engagement that could be promoted to institute publicly supported changes outside the government sector.

Colleen Shaw LIS 490 Finally, the lecture by Wadewitz influenced and motivated me as a social media user to help contribute to an environment that represents marginalized populations in an unbiased way. Until her presentation, I was unaware of the gender gap on male-dominated sites such as Wikipedia due to a lack of female perspective and input. As knowledge production on open sources sites is crucial for our perception of reality and our social memory, this issue needs to mobilize men and women to shift the paradigm from a male-centric view to a place where discriminating language does not hinder participation. This reorientation will bring about more balanced and objective information for the benefit of everyone. In closing, I am very pleased with the ability of this class to challenge norms and intensely examine the role of social media in our global society. I look forward to using the ideas and concepts I have learned to inform my actions as a consumer and producer of social media.