Knowledge is power?

 With social media, we have the power to have anything and everything at our fingertips. Likely, whether we've noticed or not, we learn from social media each time we interact with it. We have knowledge at our fingertips at all times. This seems like it would be a good thing, but is it really?

As we approach the idea of using social media for learning and training, we must consider all sides of the issue. On one hand, we have the benefit of the network that is the World Wide Web, stretching to all corners of the world, providing more information than one person could hope to accomplish on their own merit. On the other hand, it can be challenging to verify if this information is completely accurate.

I look to my personal experience to begin this conversation, and think of the times when I have received extremely valuable information to my learning through social media. For one, I was able to attend free workshops hosted by an influencer I admired, in which she shared tools and strategies that contributed to her success. Some of her tips I still use today. I also consider content posted by pastors I admire who have taught me new things about God or spurred me on in my faith.

I also think of times when it has been difficult to find accurate information through social media. More often than not, this plays out in accessing the news. There is so much information on social media about current events, it can be difficult to sort through all the noise. So many times I have run into misleading or clickbait headlines that lead me astray or show their falseness once I read more.

On still another note, I consider the very classes I currently take. Many of them include readings from blogs. Personally, I would consider blogs to be a form of social media, which means my professors, whom I admire and respect, are pointing their students towards social media to supplement or provide information for their learning. I say this not as if it were a bad thing. I say it more to express my surprise and confusion as to where we must draw the line for utilizing social media as a learning and training tool. That is, if there even is a line to be drawn. 

So, in this perplexed state, I look to the community's perspective on the role (or lack thereof) of social media and organized learning. Does it have a place there? How can we deal with misinformation and educate against it? Is there a way to engage with the vast array of knowledge at our fingertips without falling into the traps of education gaps or false teachings? I'm even curious as to what your experiences might be. For me, I tend to associate social media with learning positively. Is that the case for you?

As always, but this time especially, thank you for joining the conversation.

-Logie