Blog Post #8 – Public PLN – Balancing PLN & Public Discourse

Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes and questions above, reflecting on how you would curate your social media with a critical public audience.

In this week’s video from Global BC, Sophie Lui describes her experiences on social media over the course of more than 20 years. As a public voice for women, she describes how she uses her digital identity in different ways on Instagram and Twitter, as well as the benefits and risks of being in the public eye. Her experience made me think about how to better establish PLN, accurately express my own ideas, and positively interact with my audience.

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

In the information age, people should carefully manage content in order to interact effectively with social media circles. Being in the spotlight of digital news has its benefits, especially the ability to influence others to achieve important agendas (Hearst, 2018). But public figures should understand that with great power comes great responsibility. They need to be careful about what and how they say when dealing with a critical public. They also need to avoid controversial issues that could lead to misunderstandings, create divisions or damage their reputations. Public figures should do more to enhance the credibility of the message by citing sources, using statistics, and proposing realistic solutions.

How to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer’s social media policy?

When receiving negative replies and critiques, I will first keep calm, and make sure my critic doesn’t turn me into a hostile person. I will accept these comments and accept that not everyone will like my PLN or opinion. Then, I try to use just the right amount of humour to help break down the listener’s negativity and reduce their hostility. I will stand my position and use evidence to counter their criticism if I am certain that I am correct. On the other hand, if I feel the criticism received is genuine, I will apologize and seek a solution.

Reference

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating social journalism: A handbook for media literacy and citizen journalism. Routledge.