The ongoing debate, and great knashing of teeth, regarding the merits of college students' reliance on Wikipedia as a valid resource tool strikes at the foundation of academic and intellectual integrity. Moreover, the discussion probes the issue of adapting new learning technologies within an established research model. It is clear, however, that this debate will not cool in the near future; rather, the questions addressing reliability, access and expert creation and review need to be rectified if college students, and their professors, proceed in clear and meaningful research endeavors.
My Global Impact of Social Media students at Ashland University recently examined this concern. Responses to the questions of Wikipedia merit as a research venue were enlightening and frightening. Students enjoyed the speed and access employed by Wikipedia listings. They felt that the descriptive language in references was easy to follow and not too wordy. However, they had no problem with the unaccounted citations (citation needed icon) found in almost every listing. Some used the Wikipedia source as their only measure of information and they did not seek to follow the multiple listed citiations as platforms for further enveloping knowledge.
What can be concluded? As professors we must work to establish guidelines for Wikipedia use and tests of reliability when our students begin academic research. We are their best mentors and role models.
As we move beyond our little circle of Facebook friends and local retweets, a broader and deeper appreciation of connectivity informs us. Maybe it is a blog about China. Or it is an archive of Egyptian protest videos found on YouTube that could lead to critical thought, effective research and engaged discussion.
So go ahead. Search the Internet sphere. Mine all of the Web 2.0 tools that you can. Span the globe for stories, videos, images and words about people and events. Bring these elements into your blog, website or Facebook page. Spread the word and connect the world.
What aspects shape our identity? Our age? Our gender? Our job? Psychologists, sociologists and the neighbor across the street ponder this question daily. But what is identity in a Web 2.0 world? How is it different or similar to the personal understanding of self faced by a multitude of previous generations?
Descartes inquired about his own existence with "I think, therefore I am" but is this maxim enough in a social media-fueled life? Maybe we exist with a multiplicity of selves, like the masks worn by actors in a play or movie. Social media research suggests we are often kinder in a mediated world than we are in the physical world. Should this information surprise us? We are closer to in connection to anyone in the world than we have ever been, with perhaps only four degress of seperation from each other. Are the masks of kindness shown in a net world more than an organic world? Does the net world also construct the multiple characters in our self, who are in search of an author? Certainly, we can use a different name in our chat or gaming experiences. We do not need to be who we are in our Twitter universe. Even in this blog, I list myself as Dr. McCoy, not Dave McCoy. Can these be two different people, or two different selves, occupying the same body?
Digital Natives are all around us. They populate our classrooms and walk focused and connected around our campuses. We are their Digital Immigrant professors, full of learned knowledge and lacking in technical acumen. When we gather in class there is often a disconnection. It is not really anyone's fault. We just need to converge our thoughts and share our discoveries.
My journey toward understanding the Digital Native is in full motion this semester, as I teach a course at Ashland University called The Global Impact of Social Media. The class is a fantastic forum for appreciating the vast power, and pitfalls, of Facebook, Twitter and other novel Web 2.0 tools. In class discussions and online demonstrations, I am growing more and more impressed with my digitally- cogent students. And I am learning, too.
The global impact of social media cannot be overestimated, as evidenced by the recent democratic national movements often called the Arab Spring. But social media, and its powerful influence, extend beyond mere regions or cultures. Social media, clearly, remain conduits of discussion within a world of mistrust and ignorance. Interactive communication tools, such as Twitter or Facebook, provide real-time and life-saving information that mainstream and traditional media cannot easily transmit.
Recently, I was interviewed on this subject by Daniel Tseghay, a writer for Georgia Straight which is a very popular Canadian online magazine. In the article, I address the ramnification of social media and democratic political movements. Enjoy and comment!
As I approach a fall teaching load of four classes, each suited to various aspects of journalism and media aesthetics, I reflect on the basic notion of why students need college to prepare for a career in the profession. Journalists are the eyes, ears and voice of the masses, and hence, journalists require a broader scope of understanding, maturity and knowledge. I believe that a higher education, one grounded in diverse disciplines and engaged with the flowing connectivity of thought, houses the essential qualities needed to develop one's acute sense of meaning and rationality in a seemingly meaningless and irrational world.
Journalists-in-training, at many of the best media schools, gain that perspective often not found in immersive work environments. The truly innovative schools don't just do it the old way; rather, these benchmark programs evolve, transcend and even create new rules and methods of reporting, writing, shooting and presenting. Yet, fundamentals are still present, much like every other collegiate discipline that has undergone evolution. Solid concise storytelling, at the core of journalistic ethos, is never tossed away for glossy, new media remedies. It lives to embrace new technologies, those vibrant methodologies for media delivery to emerging audiences. Higher learning, so often the temple to the life of the mind, is the best place for a journalist to begin.
Reporters, and editors, make countless decisions each day regarding the value or newsworthy nature of a story. But what is newsworthy? The Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines newsworthy as something "interesting enough to the general public to warrant reporting" and my, oh my, is that definition very vague.
My belief on this subject centers around some basic concepts that are essential to good journalism.
The factors that suggest a newsworthy nature to any story should hold a great impact on readers, listeners or viewers. In this sense, the story must contain real consequences for the individual or the society. 9/11 or the earthquake in Japan are significant events that convey bold and dramatic outcomes for all of us. Moreover, the element of conflict (human vs human or human vs nature or human vs oneself) is central to the newworthy definition because we are interested in the conflict that presents daily life as a drama. This is why the coverage of wars always lead the news.
Prominance and proximity are two key aspects. The more known a person, or entity, is, then the more likely a featured story will surface. If that prominant subject is close to your locale, then interest is peeked and more media are consumed.
When you watch, listen or read today's news, try to think about the significance of its newsworthy nature.
