Blog 6

Anna Ehler
Eng 254
2/24/15

The community I think I would like to work with that has been "othered" is teenagers. Most people might not view this group as one that is ostracized or set apart from the norm but I want to write about this group because of the stereotype that often is set for them. One that states that they are crazy and irresponsible and lack moral judgement. I think that this group is one that is not normally seen as one that has a stereotype set against them but I would like to explore both articles and hopefully documentaries that discuss some of the tendencies that society has set towards teenagers.

blog 5

“In other words, deviance is not automatically understood as an objective fact but as constructed and interpreted meanings that are subject to change.” (Hanfler, 13) I think this is an interesting statement. Growing up in the Mid-West, actually Nebraska, my whole life I have not been exposed to this kind of deviance what so ever. It wasn’t until college that I met a gay man for the first time. Watching the Ted Talk about gender identity brought about a lot of different ideas and provided some interesting information I had not been exposed to before. I agree that there is a biological component to gender, the physical aspects of our bodies, the chromosomes and genes that dictate one way or the other. In only extremely rare cases are there any kind of questions or uncertainty in the physical aspects of gender. However, when he discusses the aspects of gender identity and gender expression is where I found myself empathizing with what he said but coming to a different understanding than him. At one point in history there were definite constraints on gender roles. The man went out and worked and brought home the money and the woman stayed home and cared for the house and kids. I agree full heartedly that there were hardly any alternatives outside of those two roles to play. In this day and age I think it is expected that we identify ourselves by so much more than that. Yes, the way my body is made up proves that I am a female but the way I act and the way I think of myself consists of so much more and is far beyond the realm of one simple identifier. I can identify myself as a leader, as an athlete, as a scientist or anything really for that matter and I think it is safe to say that for the vast majority, most would look at me and call me a female but would have many other descriptors that would follow based on how I have interacted with them and what they have seen me do. I don’t need to label myself with another word, though, to be able to express the many different dynamics that being a female can bring. I think by having to put a name or a label to certain aspects of femininity or masculinity or the lack of either or the in between of either ends up getting caught in the same trap as the binary system, why is there a need to have a label anyway? But then I think of labels as creating a sense of meaning as Hanfler explains, “ We learn meanings. Parents, teachers, friends, coaches, the media and so forth teach us our initial interpretations of the world. The process begins at birth, when parents dress baby boys in blue and daughters in pink; we start learning right away what it means to be a girl or boy.” Is it so bad that we have colors that remind us of a specific gender? I think it’s safe to say, and I know this is a generalization, but that once children grow up they have the freedom to associate with whatever color they like. I know my 5 year old cousin’s favorite color was pink for the longest time. I do see, however, that some men in my family who were older were a little put off by that fact and saw it as deviant, different than the norm. But I do see the social construction of that norm changing and that to me shows a population willing to learn and grow.

Introduction (p. 9-12)

“For Ronnie, social network sites are intricately woven into the tapestry of his daily literacy practices; they play a large role in how he interacts with others in his personal and professional life as well as how he presents himself to different audiences.”

                This statement introduces the idea of social media and the way it interacts with Ronnie’s everyday life and to exactly how many different areas of his life are impacted by what he does online. This is an important fact to orient the reader to what is to come.

“’web based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system”

                I think this quote outlines the purpose of social media, once again providing context and structure for the reader to work within, enabling them to better understand and engage with the specific case sensitive information provided later in the paper.

Methods (p. 12-13)

“The information discussed in the profile tour gave me an overall sense of how Ronnie perceived his own identity representation online, some history behind that representation, and his perspective on what those representations meant to him.”

                In this sentence Buck explains not only what methods she used for collecting data but why she chose that method and the type of information it allowed her to gather.

“Through the time-use diary, I was able to track literate activity as it was embedded within Ronnie’s daily use of social network sites.”

                This statement allows readers to understand what this particular method allowed her to gather and how this information was used.

Results (p. 13-30)

“Ronnie updated Facebook with content that he felt would be more appropriate for his wider audience. He would update Facebook with progress on for example, his graduate school applications, like this update from December 6, 2010:”

                This quote leads into a direct post from Ronnie’s Facebook which engages the reader in actual content from his profile but also goes beyond the post itself and addresses the audience that the post is intended to reach and why he chose to post that particular update. This is different than the discussion but still gives detail and content to the section.

“As noted above, Ronnie frequently set up an account on a social network site when it launched in order to ‘claim real estate’ on the site in case it became more popular; for this reason, he started his Twitter account along with accounts on other social network sites. “

                This piece does a good job outlining the reasoning behind why the participant has the social media site but leaves more to be discussed in depth in the discussion session.

Discussion (p. 30-34)

“As an expert user, Ronnie saw himself in a place to both distinguish himself from his other Facebook friends and to make a statement about the ways that his friends use Facebook and others’ information on the site.”

                This goes into greater detail on why he set up so many social media accounts and starts to draw more conclusions on what this means for how he represents himself online.

“Ronnie declined to fill these sections out, finding these boxes too limiting to explain, for example, his musical tastes.”

                By addressing what he declines to fill out, the author is still able to draw on how Ronnie chooses to create himself online. 

Interview Questions

I know we will be focusing on only one type of social media but in general what is your perception of how social media should be used? (Referring to how Ronnie had many different uses for different social media sites, even alter egos)

·         Do you use different sites for different things?

·          Do you represent yourself differently on different sites? Why or why not

When did you first get Facebook and for what reason? (Ronnie used different social media mediums for different things and at different rates. Twitter constantly because he used it as a way to connect with friends, Facebook more sparingly because it was a more general audience ect.)

• How has your usage changed since then?

When do you find yourself posting the most? (A stream of consciousness pg 13)

•   In the morning/afternoon
• When you are bored or in class?

How often are you on social media vs. when you actually post?

Do you have any specific habits on your social media sites

•  Checking your newsfeed first or only checking from your phone ect.

What usually happens after you check social media? (How social media plays a part in online and offline interactions)

•  How do you feel once you have checked?

·         Do you usually check them all at once or only one at a time?

·         Who makes up the community on your facebook page? How do you select them?

Social Media Post

These articles, for the most part, struck me as surprisingly true and applicable to my life. Social media is this new beast that effects each and every one of our lives but very few have a complete understanding of in what ways. To me, these articles show the positive use of social media and how it can be used to create connections outside of our physical locations. Thoughts and feelings can be shared back and forth with others that you have never seen but can begin to create meaningful relationships with. I think social media provides a way for those who feel unheard and inadequate to participate in more formal discourse communities, to create community of their own, to find identity and meaning in others through a way that they feel confident in expressing themselves. Social media, like I said, is this new sector of all of our lives, untapped, for the most part, by social norms. This leaves room for exploration and expression, which in my mind creates movements like “#whyIstayed” and gives people the chance to hear and be heard.  With this new way of creating connections and relationships there is an aspect of anonymity, as the author of “Why I Didn’t Post this Photo to Facebook” post discusses, we can be whoever we want to be and have complete control over what is posted and in some aspects what ideas can be taken from our posts about who we are and what our lives are like. This is a dangerous power to have. It then creates this gap between reality and the socially perceived reality that we present on social media.

In the context of writing and community’s Harris states, “Abstracted as they are from almost all other kinds of social and material relations, only an affinity of beliefs and purposes, consensus, is left to hold such communities together.” To me this indicates that social communities are some of the most raw and vulnerable types of communities. Let me explain how I came to this conclusion. First of all, even though there is a negative side to the anonymity factor social media provides, it also allows people to freely share their thoughts and ideas without being judged based on their outward physical appearance. Readers or members of the community then understand the person for their thoughts rather than their appearance and connect based on shared feelings or thoughts verses preconceived notions due to one’s appearance. Second of all, people are more likely to share thoughts that are deeply intimate to them. Without necessarily having to put a face to a post there is a stronger likelihood that writers might be apt to being more vulnerable than they would in a face to face conversation.  I think social media also provides a way for students to express themselves outside of the defined realm of conversations and interactions that academics set before us. These unspoken and sometimes spoken standards of discourse are shattered on social media. Writers are given the ability to freely think and play with ideas without having to fit them into a predefined box. “…to define their views against some ‘common’ way of talking about their subject. Instead, they simply repeat in their writing ‘what everybody knows’ or what their professor has told them in her lectures.”  

These three articles have shown how people use the internet and different forms of social media, blogging, Twitter, and Facebook to create common connections through conversations that reveals their thoughts and ideas. The flow of communication back and forth creates relationships that can not be denied their power and validity to make a difference.

Harris Article, Blog 1

Hi everyone! My name is Anna Ehler and I am a senior here at the University and I am double majoring in Child, Youth, and Family Development and Leadership.  This course is an ACE requirement for me but I switched from an entry level English class at the last minute to this class because I really enjoy the idea of community and learning how I can create it in whatever situation I am in. This content really intrigues me and scares me at the same time. I have not taken an English class since I was in high school and am a little anxious about the amount of writing involved.

In regards to what kind of writer I am, I would say that I am an obligated writer as it stands right now. When I find myself writing, most often it is for a class assignment or taking notes over reading but hardly ever to express my thoughts or ideas or to share them at a deeper level. When I am overly stressed or find myself struggling to grapple with something I’m going through in life, writing is kind of a last resort for me to sort through all of the moving parts of an issue that are flying around in my head. I find it to be really therapeutic to be able to give something a name, define it and then be able to begin to understand it more. There is something about writing everything down that is going on that, I suppose, in a way gives me control over it. I put it there, I defined and now I can decide what to do with it. I hope to improve through this class in my ability to write clearly, and powerfully. I want to be able to use written words to move people and persuade them.

I think any time someone can identify with something you write, whenever the words you use connect directly with what someone is feeling, you are at the beginning of creating community. In my mind once the flow of thoughts and ideas takes place you now share in a community. I think something that Harris points out is that community starts with a commonality but continues in spite of differences discovered.  Because humans are so complex there is no single of way defining all of us. With that being said, I think it’s safe to assume we will never fully agree with someone on every topic discussed. This is why I believe respect is essential when talking about community. In my mind I define community as a group who shares a common, value, belief, purpose or goal. So as a class, we have a common purpose for being together every week, learning and discovering the content for this course. I think even though many of our goals, or beliefs may be different we can share our differences and feel comfortable because of our common purpose.