Social Media and Social Anxiety

One thing that I have struggled with in terms of social media is the anxiety that I feel around posting and putting myself out there. When I do post, it doesn't make me feel any more connected socially; instead I often feel exposed and anxious. I ask myself questions like "Will anyone like my post?" or "Should I not have posted that? What will people think, and who will end up seeing this?"  Some of this could be related to the fact that  I have struggled with social anxiety throughout my life, and the permanence and public nature of social media seems to exacerbate my anxiety.

Due to this experience, I have been looking around at articles that address social anxiety and social media use. In my searches, I came across a study that claims the opposite: that because social media is not a face-to-face experience, that people with social anxiety prefer social media interactions (Posting photos on Facebook: The impact of Narcissism, Social Anxiety, Loneliness, and Shyness).  Is there anyone else who struggles with social anxiety, and if so (and you feel comfortable answering), do you prefer find face-to-face or online interactions, and why?

I must confess, even writing such a personal blog post is outside of my comfort zone, despite the relatively small audience in this course. Or maybe this is a feeling that everyone deals with to some degree?

As I am going through the week and using social media (more than I normally ever would, but sparingly compared to most), I am noticing a couple of things that I personally struggle with as a social media user. The first is that rather than a way to connect, I often feel as though it is an interruption. I am in Montreal this weekend just to visit. It is a place I have never been, but always wanted to check out. As I am walking around experiencing the city, I am getting notifications on my phone from twitter, Instagram, and Facebook continuously. I feel like I have to look. Then I think about posting on Instagram, and I have to stop what I'm doing ,arrange the photo, write a caption, etc. I know many, many people love doing this, but to me I feel it interrupts the flow of my daily activity. I wonder if anyone else experiences this?

The second issue that I encounter is that I worry about putting my photos on social media because of user agreements and fair-use issues. Not that I am some great photographer, or anyone important, but the language of twitter, Facebook, and Instagram user agreements that allows them royalty-free use of any images their users post is problematic to me. Also, fair-use laws are vague, and it is possible for someone to use part of an image I post without infringing on my copyright. Does anyone else worry about these issues?

Throughout the week I have been getting myself acclimated to both Twitter and Instagram. I found a few education-related twitter chats that I am going to check out, which should be interesting. I am still trying to get used to the interface, too, which is a bit different than what I've been used to with Facebook. Overall, though, I've enjoyed the experience.

I want to branch out and see if I can find some communities on Twitter and other social media that are related to some of my hobbies, as well. My husband and I are taking a trip to Seattle in July, so I would like to see if I can find some hiking and outdoor activity communities. I am hoping I can find some good tips about hiking in the national parks around Seattle, and maybe some other activities like Kayaking or bike rental. I would also like to join some cooking groups and see if I can swap tips with some other people who share this passion with me. So, that is my goal for the coming week!

Working in higher education administration at a large community college for the past 6 years, I have heard the term "digital natives" being thrown around quite a bit, mostly in reference to our students. When that occurs, it is clear that there is some idea that "young people" are somehow born with an innate understanding technology, and older folks have to work hard to learn it. Never mind that older Millennials (like myself), the original "Digital Natives" generation, are in their mid to late thirties now and are well established in their careers. We are the professors and teachers in many cases. This makes the idea that somehow our students are radically different from us even more questionable.

However, the Presnky (2001) article is my first encounter with the term "Digital Immigrants", which on face value seems innocent enough. However, as the description of digital immigrants continues in the article, I can't help but think that it is somewhat of a loaded, pejorative term. Comparing an accent that one might have while learning a second language to technological ineptitude seems a bit much, considering that one language is no better than another, depending on context, unlike the use of technology which is advantageous no matter where you are and what language you speak. Further, the statement that school for 'digital natives' "feels pretty much as if we’ve brought in a population of heavily accented, unintelligible foreigners to lecture them" (p. 2) smacks of colonial condescension, and paints actual immigrants in a less than favorable light. Yikes.

Young people of every generation are exposed to the technologies of their day earlier than their parents. There was a time when having caller ID on your home phone was a big deal, and prior to that just having a home phone was new. Television changed the way families and households socialize from the time if its inception. Transportation technology, medical technology, building technology, manufacturing technology, farming technology-all of these things have changed the way we as humans live, all the way back to the discovery of fire and creation of early tools.

I also agree with Sorrentino (2018) that  "the binary opposition digital natives/digital immigrants is quite problematic" (p. 4). It sets up opposing groups, one born after a certain time and naturally gifted with the understanding of technology, and the second an older, bumbling group who are scrambling to understand what is so easy for the first group.  Not only does this set up the 'digital natives' as superior, but it also doesn't allow for anything in-between. Older people who are better with technology than a younger person cannot exist-they can only be on par. Young people who are terrible with technology also cannot exist, since their brains are fundamentally wired for such tasks. I think it is much more likely that skill with technology exists on a scale, regardless of age.

The first time I ever kept a blog was for a course I took last semester, and I have never kept a personal blog. I am more of an analog kind of girl, so I keep a journal and pen in my nightstand drawer. However, I am looking forward to delving into the world of blogging, as well as diving deeper in social media, over the course of this semester.

I set up an email just for this course, so I can keep all of my course-related accounts organized and separate from my personal accounts. However, I have never really been a twitter user. I set up my account and spent some time looking around on twitter, finding cool stuff to follow, and generally getting a feeling for how people use the platform.  It seems to be used mostly to share information and articles, and to keep up to date in areas that you are interested or involved in. I am excited to use twitter more throughout the semester and learn more abut the nuances of this tool.