Context Collapse and Facebook
If there is one social media tool that makes me want to bang my head against a wall, it's Facebook. Maybe it's because it feels like it's one giant free-for-all with little censoring of fake news, maybe it's because I just have too many dang "friends" on there (at the time of this post, I have 1,162 Facebook "friends".) Whatever it may be, I have wanted to delete my Facebook account permanently for about a year now but can't because it's the way I organize a volunteer group that I work with. This week in class, we learned a bit more about "context collapse," which is what happens when members of different communities that we belong to follow us on social media platforms and get to see different sides of us that they wouldn't normally see when we are interacting with them in said community. I think that for most people Facebook causes the most context collapse in their lives which might explain why, for instance, the youngest generation in America, Gen Z, are beginning to leave the platform behind and I don't blame them!
Facebook is arguably the most user-friendly of the large social media tools we have today. A bunch of those in the older generations, particularly baby boomers, have turned to it as a way to keep up with loved ones, especially those who are younger. However, on these platforms they get to see different sides of these loved ones that they probably wouldn't normally see on a regular basis and some of them just straight up don't know how to act appropriately on social media. Have you ever run across a post on Facebook that one of your friends has made about a current event and in the comments, their grandmother or whoever makes a grammatically incorrect, embarrassing, tone-deaf comment and signs it with a signature? It's become a meme at this point.
I was genuinely surprised to see in comments on the VoiceThread about communities and networks this week that a lot of my classmates censor themselves on social media in order to avoid context collapse, particularly on Facebook. I don't post anything vulgar on there ever, but I do give my two cents on political issues sometimes. Does it annoy some of my "friends"? Probably. Do I argue with those "friends" and personally attack them for having different viewpoints from me? No, never. I think people should be able to express their opinions on the site as long those opinions aren't racist, sexist, generally hateful, etc. because that seriously crosses a line.
What input do you have? Do you think that expressing any sort of political opinion on Facebook is unprofessional? Please comment and let me know what you think!
Dr. B (have you had a class with her?) and I talk about this issue often enough with respect to having students as Facebook friends. She's much more inclined to post about politics, etc. than I am. Her rationale is that we are all adults and if people don't like it, they can walk away. I almost always err on the side of caution. while I agree with her that folks can walk away and have their own opinions, and I do a lot of that myself, I worry (perhaps needlessly?) that if I overtly give away my leanings on topics where there tends to be controversy, perhaps it will rub a student the wrong way and somehow make it more difficult for us to build a productive learning relationship. I have some family members who let it all hang out, and i definitely have to bracket my interactions with them. And during the last presidential election I posted a single post that was indirectly political (was about CNN vs Fox coverage of a debate) that led to my aunt unfriending me. We haven't spoken since (that's on her, not me).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dr. Dennen. My Brother in Law is a journalist. Him and I do not talk on FB anymore. We have agreed that Twitter is the place for political ramblings and that FB and Instagram will be for sharing with family and friends. Him and I are still friends on FB, I have just hidden his posts on FB so I do not have to see them. He knows and understands. I know the nature of his job and he understands my feelings on his posts. As far as the comment you made about Gen Z leaving FB, I actually don't see that. Our graduating seniors at our school are all creating accounts. It's actually a running joke at our school. As freshman we discuss the social media accounts they all have. They all laugh about the FB accounts the teachers have and say they will never have one. I laugh and tell them that I bet they will have one by Senior year and they will all friend request at least two-three teachers the day after graduating. And with out fail they all do. Our graduation day was 5/16, I had at least 3-4 of the graduating senior friend request me already :)
ReplyDeleteHi Erin. I appreciate this post about context collapse. There are a few family members I won't friend on FB because their views clash with mine. I think it is interesting that FB has added a feature where you can still be friends with someone without having their posts show up on your timeline. I think for me it's been interesting to see how people are communicating during these unprecedented times especially as it relates to how the digital footprints of users accounts will be perceived through out time. I think a lot of people are holding themselves back because they are not sure how to articulate their thoughts, especially if its on a topic they don't know much about in a way that will not haunt them in the future. I think as an educator I am fine with others knowing about my politics, because I don't really have any option as my identity as a Black woman is often politicized whether I like it or not. Sometimes I wonder if privilege allows one to be able to side step these uncomfortable, nuanced conversations for the sake of keeping things "light" and respectable. Of course we are able to craft the types of content that we see, but I wonder how far that extends when algorithms push various types of medias based on one's online identity without proper historical or social context of"real world" events. Maybe that's what the issue is? We have to hash it out together online knowing that the a multitude of worldviews won't easily smooth out into harmonious hashtags, posts, and think pieces.
ReplyDeleteI definitely still post political opinions (as long as they are backed by facts and resources) on Facebook, I more or less censor what I share of my personal life on Facebook since I have mentors, colleagues, previous students, etc. on there. I also know as a Millenial that I do not want to see your every action/thought like folks used to do on Myspace, which probably informed my Facebook use.
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