Week 15

5/13:  Social Networks

Agenda for this week:

Review from last week: 

Microsoft Office Tools

Poll on social networks

Presentation

Discussion of social networks

Hands on and demonstration

Homework:

Introduction to Social Networks:  What are social networks?

Social networks are the use of social media websites and apps to connect with family, friends, and those with similar interests.  Social networks bring people together to talk, share ideas, and make friends. 


Unique ways social networks can benefit us

Social networks can benefit older adults


Social  networking terms and elements

Public Profile:  Social networks will include a public profile, which might include things like a photo, a short bio, the town where you live and in some cases more personal information (like your birthday, where you went to college and your interests).  In most cases, you can make your profile as personal or vague as you are comfortable.  For some sites, like a dating site, you will include more information which will be relevant to that site.

Friends and followers:  Friends and followers are the social part of social networks.  These are people you allow to access your profile.  They can see any photos or posts that you make and interact with you via comments, likes and messages.  You can also see their posts and interact with them.   Some people prefer to have lots of friends and followers, while others may be a bit choosier.  Some people may even choose a public profile, which means that anyone can follow them or be friends with them.  This is a great marketing tool for those who are in a business or selling goods.  

Home feed:  The home feed is the page you see when you log on.  It is usually a “feed” showing updates from friends.  There may also be a notifications section where you can review recent posts from your friends and followers.  

Likes, comments, shares and threads:  Feedback is important in social networking.  Most sites have a “like” button, which is an easy way of supporting a post.  Facebook is an example with a more diverse set of feedback icons, such as sadness, surprise, or love.  In this way, you can respond without saying anything.  Most sites will also support comments on posts.  These can create conversations and boost the activity within the social network.  Users can also share a post, sending it out on their feed as well, increasing the audience for that post.  This is called sharing.  If there are multiple comments on a single post, it is referred to as a thread.  

Groups:  Some sites have a group element which helps users find people with similar interests or engage on discussions on certain topics.  This can revolve around a topic of interest (a band or an author), a former residence (those from your hometown), or even a former educational institution (your high school graduating class).  These groups are mostly created by individuals, whether they be fans, previous members of the community, or a member of the graduating class.  Groups are a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and can be anything that you imagine them to be.  (I have a friend who set up a group for Cicadas.)


Hashtag:  Hashtags are a word or keyword phrase preceded by the #symbol .  Users put a hashtag by a name or phrase to help others as they search for a similar topic.  For example, you can take a picture of your dog and put it on Instagram with the hashtag #cuteestdog  You can then go to Instagram and search for #cuteestdog, and see your dog as well as every other dog who has been identified as the cutest dog.  Note:  Hashtags have no space between the hash symbol and the phrase, and there are no spaces within the phrase.  So, while #cuteestdog might get you there, # cuteestdog may not, and #cuteest dog will not either.  However, you can search for cutest dog and might see your hash tag turn up.  But you will also see dogs and cutest anything as well, since there is no hash tag.  Makes sense???


Tagging:  In some sites, tagging is a way to identify a person in a photo.  It is done by clicking on the picture and adding their name.  If you are tagged, you will be notified and will have the option of saving that post to your home page. 

Home page:  Besides the home feed, there is usually also a home page.  This is where people will go to see all of the posts directly related to you.  They can also find your photos, your interests, and more.  You would have to be a friend of the person in order to see most of the things on their home page.  

What do I need to join a social network?

All social networks require a unique username and a password.  Some people create a username that helps identify them, while others want to maintain an anonymity.  The password is very important for maintaining your privacy.  Some social networks will need more information.  If you are joining a social network based on where you live (Next Door for example), then you will have to provide some type of proof on residency.  Many will require your email address so they can contact you about updates.  Some social network apps may require access to things such as your camera and your location.  Depending on what you want to provide, you may choose not to participate in a social network based on what they require.  

What information do they want from us?

Social networks are free, but not really.  Most rely on some type of advertising.  Users are the target of this advertising, and companies will use social networking data to find our tastes and interests.  Each social network has a distinct purpose and will collect different data based on that.  There are people (data brokers) who collect information about you and then sells it.  (Cambridge Analytics is an example of this).  There are analytical tools which can take your information and make predictions about you.  It is said that Facebook knows more about you than even your closest family members!  Some of the things they look at include:


The dark side to social networking:

We have seen in recent years a trend towards spreading misinformation via social networks.  In these cases, we have seen them create fear and distrust among the community.  We saw them spur illegal activities such as riots and invasions.  In some cases, they have damaged relationships and the community in general.  

One less harmful effect (to the community at least) is information overload and overwhelm.  It can be difficult and time consuming to keep up, causing you to focus on the social network instead of your life outside the bubble.  

It can also affect privacy, whether it is through posting your location online, tweeting something inappropriate, or even the fact that once you post it, it is no longer your property but the property of the social network.  

Young people especially are faced with additional issues with social networks.  They provide a type of peer pressure to keep up, and can create cyberbullying, which can lead to stress, anxiety and depression.  Also, research has shown that there are additional risks of excessive social networking including feelings of isolation, decreased attention, increased distractions and procrastination.  It has been associated with physical problems (activity levels declining, postural problems, eye strain) and sleep disruption.  

Impact of social  media on mental health

Impact of social media on the community

VIdeo:  How social media addiction destroys the brain

Movies depicting Social Networks

•The Social Network (2010) Details the growth of Facebook and challenges found. (Streaming on Netflix)(Trailer)

•The Circle (2017) Based on the novel, a world where a powerful tech company’s social network promotes total transparency (purchase on Amazon, YouTube)(Trailer)

•The Social Dilemma (2020):  Behind the scenes of social media and insights on how to improve (streaming on Netflix)(Trailer) 

•The Antisocial Network (2024) A look back at a social site dedicated to freedom of expression and the exponential growth of an underground network (streaming on Netflix)(Trailer)


The Social Dilemma

I was inspired to watch (again) this movie prior to our lesson.  At the conclusion, I was also inspired to find the transcript and to copy certain parts of the transcript into a document, organized under category.   I then used AI to summarize what I had done.  Here is the final product.

How to improve our privacy and safety on social networks?  


What is the deal with Tik Tok?

TikTok  

TikTok is a short-form video sharing app with a feed including a slew of micro-videos made by its users.   Videos are a maximum of 15 seconds long, with the option of combining them for a total of 60 seconds.  It can be charming and hilarious.  TikTok runs on interactions based on location and interests.  It is intended to inspire creativity and spread entertainment.  It is mostly used by Millennials and Generation Z-ers, but other demographics are picking it up.

However, TikTok has been under fire by our Government over potential privacy issues with China, who creates TikTok.  Some of the points mentioned:

•US government concerned that TikTok (a Chinese company) could be forced to shared data with the Chinese Government or manipulate it to align with Chinese interests.  Viewed as a national security risk.

•TikTok denies it and says that banning the app will violate free speech rights and other social media platforms collect data and facial privacy concerns

•Some experts recommend an independent agency to regulate social media companies.

We will have to see what turns up as a potential solution to this problem.

Video:  What is the impact of TikTok on the brain?

X which was formerly Twitter

Twitter is now X.  Twitter changed its name to X as part of Elon Musk's vision to transform the platform into an "everything app" akin to China's WeChat. Here are the key points about the rebranding:


What are some examples of social networks? 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/

 

AARP Community (https://community.aarp.org )


Senior Forum (https://www.seniorforums.com/ )


 Next Door:  https://www.nextdoor.com



 Next Door:  https://www.nextdoor.com


 

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com


 

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/


 


Others social networks of interest: 

Online Dating Services:  There are a variety of online dating services.