Essay Showcase

Introduction

This essay seeks to explore how community has changed within the digital world. [Engages with the Q!] To explore such reasoning for how community changes in the digital world, a description of community is necessary [Great definition] - “Communities are constituted of, and provide for their members, regular, patterned, personalized interactions and social engagement; shared identity, culture, information, purpose, and fate; and feelings of togetherness and belonging, all of which help individuals feel meaningfully connected” (Chayko, 2014). [Well referenced] Many have unwittingly become part of an echo chamber in their digital spaces. Wherein only the like-minded thoughts are amplified, and any notion of disagreement is barred from the digital space. As such, many online communities amplify the negatives within society, becoming a loudspeaker for those with the most repugnant ideologies, providing an all-new pulpit for hate preachers to reach the masses. This essay seeks to explore how such echo chambers within online spaces can alter the traditional arrangements within communities and not entirely for the benefit of those within.

Body

There is no better example [Excellent link phrase] of this than the ‘Incel’ community, an ‘Incel’ is a person that is ‘Involuntarily celibate’ and as such possesses extreme resentment and hatred for those who are sexually active; Linder states, “A marketplace that leaves many men single, or celibate, or both, will create the ecology that makes desperate low-status men ready to accept incel beliefs possibly willing to engage in simulated coalitional bargaining against high-status men and women.” (Linder, 2023). Thus, for many incels the echo chamber surrounding them promotes a hateful fantasy wherein they can openly deride those men and women that they deem to be existing in a space far removed from them. Incel spaces have grown exponentially online and thus have had very detrimental effects offline, with incel-related violent ideology on the rise, with 77 referrals to Prevent in 2022 compared to 3 referrals in 2021 (Dodd, 2023). The incel communities echo chamber infantilises the men holding such beliefs, providing them an unnatural space in which their virginal status is exaggerated and seen as something they cannot escape. In offline communities such beliefs would be openly combatted and discouraged, if necessary, therapeutic intervention would be recommended. [Nice comparative analysis] By enforcing such beliefs, incels have settled within a community that would not exist offline. In addition, rather than multiple elements of the basis of community – incels are only connected by one shared identity: their anger.

Body

Another problematic identity that may arise from too much time online is an ‘enmeshed self.’ This occurs when an individual’s identity gets so tangled up in who they appear to be online, that their behaviour changes in the real world. [Lovely paraphrasing] People can forget who they really are and the lines between virtual reality the real world get blurred. This is a theory consistent with the Proteus Effect where subjects started displaying characteristics of their in-game avatars in their day to day life. For example, ‘participants given taller avatars negotiated more aggressively in subsequent face-to-face interactions than participants given shorter avatars.’ (Yee, Bailenson and Ducheneaut, 2009) This study showed that, [Connects evidence to argument] in a progressively more digital world, it is possible that our ‘virtual selves’ and the way we interact with people online can hold an influence over our identities and how we subsequently behave in real life situations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, [A classic!] the digital age has led a change in how we conceive and portray our identities. The presence of social media has facilitated the creation of multiple online personas, giving rise to what Sherry Turkle terms the 'distributed self’ (Turkle,1995) However, this newfound flexibility in expression has been flawed by instances of manipulation and deception, as evidenced by the Rohingya genocide, where fabricated narratives spread on social media led to real-world horrors. Additionally, the concept of the 'enmeshed self' highlights the blurring of boundaries between virtual and real-life behaviours, evidenced by the Proteus Effect. Jean Baudrillard's concept of the 'fabricated self' clarifies the construction of idealized online personas that differ from authentic selves, fostering a hyperreality where representations overshadow reality (Baudrillard, 1981). Overall, the digital world challenges our understanding of authenticity and reality in regard to our identities, emphasizing the need for critical engagement with online identities in an increasingly virtual world. [Great use of theory]

Introduction

In this reflective essay it is my intention to identify and explore how I have met the challenges of digital learning. I will be focussing on my experiences so far in my foundation year studies and I will be focussing on key points of interest or barriers I have faced and continue to face. I will attempt to adapt a what, so what, now what structure as outlined by Rolfe et al., (2011). [This works! Brief and to the point.]

Body

I am inclined to believe that some personal barriers in adapting to and embracing academic technologies and digital learning tools may stem from my personal experiences as an adolescent, from the ages of 15-18 I was homeless, I lived for the most part outside, I did not attend education during this time and lived on what I would describe as the periphery of society. I had very little interaction with technology during these arguably critical years in terms of development. Although many of my peers within my age demographic would consider themselves digital natives or at least have had enough exposure to feel a fair sense of competence and confidence with regard to learning and using new technologies or digital tools, I feel as though during these critical years I was not present for much of the adolescent educational experience that I would suggest is the foundation of the ability to intuitively navigate the ever advancing technologies present within both academia and wider society. the Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen proposes “” The Capability Approach which focuses directly on the quality of life that individuals can achieve. This quality of life is analysed in terms of the core concepts of 'functioning' and 'capability'. Functionings are states of 'being and doing' such as being well-nourished, having shelter””. Wells, T. (2018) [Frames experiences using theory]

This is relevant as I would suggest that the quality of life afforded, or achievable by an individual as argued by Sen, has a direct correlation to the areas of development available and therefore achievable. An individual in a situation that dictates the focus of their attention, resource allocation and effort output to areas that relate to the more basic elements of human well-being such as food, shelter and safety, are in turn and going to have less resources or attention to allocate to other areas of development. In this case it could be suggested that my baseline technological capabilities are potentially at a lower level than that of my peers as when others may have been able to allocate their time and attention to developing these skills at a foundational level, I was focused on arguably more fundamental and basic concerns of wellbeing. [Clear and direct reflection]

Body

Placing my own experience of lacking motivation into Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle, I was able to meet and overcome this challenging aspect of digital learning. [Using a model to reflect] The model asks you to describe, evaluate, analyse and finally conclude the problem. Mulling over this, I came to understand that an aspect of my lacking motivation was due to the isolation and loneliness that can be felt when studying or completing online education (Gillett-Swan,2017). Learning is a collaborative effort (Vygotsky,1978) and without that community support it became difficult to both stay on task or feel reworded for my efforts (Mooney 2013).

Conclusion

In this essay, I have been asked to show how I have met the challenges of digital learning, in truth I have relied on the support of family, friends and tutors. [Connects back to the question.] I hope to have illustrated how with a strengthened community we can reap the benefits online education has to offer whilst mitigating some of the known pitfalls. The positive aspects of digital learning such as learning at one’s own pace and having flexibility to schedule around other commitments (Rawashdeh et al, 2021), outweigh any difficulties I may have experienced.