Social Media: Personalized or Purposeful?

By: Kyra DeLoach

"Social Media Icons HD wallpaper" by PXFUEL is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Social media has become more ‘personal’ because you can choose what you see. But can you really? A video Beware online “filter bubbles” by Eli Pariser explains how we get trapped in ‘filter bubbles’ and may not get exposed to all the things that are actually happening. We sometimes are only shown things based on what we already subscribe to. This made me question, are the things I see on social media really personalized or just purposeful?

During my research this week in class, I thought about what media sources I use for my interests and how they impact me: positively or negatively. I found that some resources like @saproshumor on Instagram help me connect with others in my field through relatable humor, but don’t enrich me professionally or educationally. While it is good to have some brain-numbing social media scrolling, I dug to find some resources that will really benefit me professionally while I scroll or listen.

Podcasts are something I have never listened to, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone and I found podcasts that were specifically tailored to one of my interests and career: Higher Education. Rethinking the RA Role: Innovating Student Staff and Resident Assistant Positions was an episode from the Student Affairs NOW podcast that really resonated with me and gave me insight into how things have changed past COVID with student staff. This podcast will be a part of my rotation now that I know it exists.

Social media can be detrimental to my productivity if I don’t use it as a supplement or tool, so adding these media sources will benefit me. I would highly recommend everyone takes a look at what they can add or take away from their consumption.

References

Student Affairs NOW (2023, June 28). Rethinking the RA Role: Innovating Student Staff and Resident Assistant Positions. Student Affairs NOW Podcast. https://studentaffairsnow.com/rethinking-ra/

TED (2011, May 2). Beware online "filter bubbles" | Eli Pariser [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s