Reflections on Engaging in Social Media
This week has been a challenge. Reflecting on leadership and embracing technology in new aspects has changed a few of my thoughts. Perhaps the enlightenment has been viewing the world and interacting on the web and not hiding behind blackboard portals or academic peer journals. This blog has provided persistent engagement and the ability to see and monitor how many views my blog receives. This is different for communicating in the open instead of closed Facebook or internet accounts.
These past two months have also made me consider and review the Jesuit values on how to make a difference in the world, the care of the whole person, and commitment of service. The infusion of technology into leadership started me thinking on how to advocate on a mass level for an idea and to start socializing concepts for service and humanitarian efforts.
My brain is constantly filled with ideas on how do we engage in a globally connected world. Are we using the right forms and methods. Which are the right regional platforms to use in various countries across the globe. This course also made me pause for a moment to consider ways to bridge generational gaps and account for haves and have nots. I thought about the region of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Of how some of my relatives will never know the true capabilities of an interconnected world. As I write this blog, I am working a multinational event in Japan, resting in my bed utilizing an international IPhone. This is a stark difference to the 8 year old me remembering visiting my great grandparents in North Carolina and their simple life in the woods with basic amenities.
I reviewed our syllabus and paused on how our Jesuit Education is to create leaders who are committed, compassionate, competent, and conscious. It made me wander on how can we be socially consciousness on the web. Are acts of compassion relayed on the net or is it only possible in person. But in this world of persistent engagement and a always on a device society-what is commitment, maintaining persistent themes on our blogs? In a twitter environment or other quick look at me media, how do I maintain a responsible image and social credit?
Understanding leadership in a digital world is a journey. Another lesson I learned from this course is sometimes you just have to get out there and post. Developing a social presence has caused me to consider what platforms to use, do I want multiple languages and hashtags for my sites, and at what frequency should I post.
Learning through dialogue with my peers and instructors has facilitated my journey. I was able to view different blog sites and I am impressed with the web design skills of some of my peers. Their thoughtful comments and internet etiquette facilitated my learning. The Kevin Kelley book, the Inevitable, provided nice snippets of information to think about this journey we are all on together. The sharing chapter caused me to consider my past and earlier remarks on how we mitigate technology imbalances in the world. The topics of privacy and an always engaged world in his book sparked a deep concern on how we create resiliency in our society to avoid people misusing information.
As I complete this reflection missive, one thought is becoming apparent. I want to serve my community by developing mitigation strategies and expanding technology to rural America. Somehow this course has sparked a deep desire to bridge the gaps in our country. As an active duty officer, my time and resources are limited. However, I see a balance on how I can utilize technology to advance improvements to our society. Perhaps my blog may become my method to garner support for tech in rural areas. Perhaps it was that colleague of ours who is a community banker that has inspired this new journey I want to venture on. His blog has showed me how he can tie tech to a purpose.
A worthy purpose! We started this course considering the spikiness versus flatness of the world...and your post regarding rural areas brings this full circle. Yet I continue to think that while we never eradicate the have-nots, digital connections have to some degree bridged some of these spikes.
ReplyDeleteYou noted "...In a twitter environment or other quick look at me media, how do I maintain a responsible image and social credit?" As I noted on another blog, I have been reflecting this morning on the terrible leadership example of our President mocking a young autistic child who was picked by Time as Person of the Year. I am less sure about how to maintain a responsible image and social credit...but I know the opposite when I see it. Our President uses Twitter to bully people rather than raise them up. Some times the best example is a bad example.
There is a reason we in the military and government take an oath to support and defend the Constitution rather than a individual. At its heart, the Constitution provides a framework for collective action...and as leaders, we need to - as you say - improve society. I still think there is a role for digital technology for that...but through digitally-enhanced people.
I like your thoughts on digitally enhanced people and leaders. It just made my journal of thoughts to explore!
DeleteThank you for sharing your reflections on lessons learned from this class. Your desire to bridge gaps in our country is admirable, and I appreciated how you connected Jesuit values and education to social responsibility in a digital world. I am a firm believer that advancements in social media platforms can be a powerful conduit for starting and developing social change for the betterment of society. I share your concern about how to mitigate the misuse of information that is constantly produced. In sum, what stands out to me is that technological advancements (e.g., internet, social media, artificial intelligence, etc.,) are a powerful force in today’s digital world, and as the famous line from Spiderman reminds us, “with great power comes great responsibility”. In my opinion, good and ethical leadership will be needed to drive what will inevitably be developed in the future. It doesn’t matter if you are a student, parent, employee, CEO, or President - anyone and everyone has an opportunity to be part of the process and has the potential to make a meaningful difference - so long as there exists a space in which dialogue can occur to raise important questions and challenge assumptions. Like you, I also learned many valuable lessons from this course and still have several questions that I look forward to understanding more about going forward. I hope you enjoy the rest of the holiday season, and wish you all the best on your academic journey.
ReplyDeleteAll of the traits you have learned as an Active Duty Officer can benefit you when you decide to leave the military. You could possibly start a non-profit or business enterprise that focuses on serving rural areas as the ones you mention. The interconnectedness of the web can give us a global view, but sometimes we forget that there is plenty to do in our own backyard.
ReplyDeleteI have the same view, increasingly, regarding the need to expand tech, at the very least in the form of WiFi bandwidth, to underserved areas. The alternative would seem to be either a lack of access or access at an extreme expense (via cell phones, for which data plans may be unaffordable). It is a worthy goal.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your post and the desire to expand access to underserved areas and people. It seems to me that just the act of putting it out here on the web and being willing to say it out loud as an advocate is a great first step. Raising awareness and verbalizing the issue--especially in a compelling and personal way--seems like very positive consensus building. Kudos for lessons learned and good luck as you move forward!
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