I believe establishing a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media could benefit both the individual and society.
Establishing a more diverse and inclusive PLN implies expanding one’s PLN and accepting difference. It could be differences in competence and skills in professional fields or differences in personal identity such as race and nationality. As stated in Media, Democracy, Human Rights, and Social Justice, public communication in democratic societies is dominated by governmental, corporate, and public relations. In the long term, the monopoly of media could result in an uncompetitive environment of the public voice. (Jasen, 1)
Moreover, it could lead to the marginalization of minority cultures, races, and individuals. Ever since the human has entered the era of information, communications and connections between entities became more transparent and convenient. However, I would argue that social media in the context of globalization and the age of information could misguide us and offer us a limited and stereotypical view of the world. We are much limited to live in our comfort zone in real life as well as in social media, and we tend to select people, culture, and interests that we are familiarized with. There is nothing wrong with our inclination of our self-interests, but I believe that this inclination could bury the seed of prejudice in the long run. By the time you are so used to your carefully selected social media content, you have already become exclusive and biased in a way that you weren’t even expecting. Thus, reflection on one’s social media diversity is crucial to limit personal bias and stereotypical views.
Furthermore, I find myself developing competencies and skills while expanding and diversifying my PLN. In a beginner French course that I took at Uvic, the instructor forced the students to form different discussion groups in every class to practice French dialogue, and it was uncomfortable initially, but my views started changing as I was engaged with people from distinct backgrounds. Among my classmate, there was a guy from Jamaica. He helped me develop my French oral and listening competency through practicing dialogues because French was an official language of Jamacia. Besides, we became friends, and we shared many objectives. As Markiel Simpson states in the video: common objectives in PLN can promote better outcomes.(4:20) My Jamaican friend brought me his homemade Jamaican lunch and introduced me to their food culture. Our passion for jazz music inspired us to conduct a music project in the course. Through this experience of expanding my PLN, I had a better grasp of Jamaican culture and its people. Jamacia for me is no longer a name for a country in a history textbook, it became the culture, the music, the people with flesh and memory. The first step to approach a more justice world is to expand your PLN and get to know those from distinctive backgrounds. By diversifying our PLN, we not only could develop professional experience, but we also gain personal growth that enables us to shape a better world around us.
Reference
Media & Social Justice http://ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/login?url=http://www.palgraveconnect.com/doifinder/10.1057/9780230119796 CHAPTER 4 A New Vision for Public Media Open, Dynamic, and Participatory Jessica Clark and Patricia Aufderheide
Community Communications, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSpm1Lx8-A