Social Media & Participatory Culture

When one cares about what the people around them think and believe their contributions matter, they are a part of a participatory culture. The more technical definition is “A participatory culture is a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009). A form of participatory culture is affiliations. These are formal and informal memberships in online communities, like social media (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009).

Learning from each other is a huge part of this culture. Social media makes it easier to access information and also give our own thoughts. However, it is not always positive. The Transparency Problem challenges young people to see clearly the ways that media shape perceptions of the world (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009). Schools and after school programs are beginning to teach media skills to prepare children for the use of social media. The idea of participatory culture has expanded due to the invention of social media.

In terms of me using social media, I believe that it is almost essential. Living so far away from my friends and family, I use social media to stay connected. Without it, I would not be able to see all the things happening in my friends lives. I also use it for news. I find the news borning to watch, but I love to hear what goes on in the world. So, I use Twitter’s news updates. I am known for being outspoken, so I like to challenge popular beliefs on my social media. It is a great way to hear the opinions from a diverse set of people.

Now that we are in the midst of a pandemic, I am using social media even more. However, I am not a fan of all the false information about COVID-19 spreading. People are truly afraid, and the virus is disproportionately affecting underrepresented communities. People are looking to social media to educate them on what to do during this time, but no one knows if the information is actually true. I believe this connects with the ethics challenge we were assigned to read about in this class. That is why we need to prepare young people for their increasingly public roles as media makers and community participants (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009). What is truly ethical when it comes to social media? That is something that still needs to be discussed. I want social media to continue to be a safe place with correct information, while also maintaining our freedom of speech.