Journal Entry #3: Commercial Concerns in the Social Web

Friesen, N. (2010, December 6). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3149/2718



In the article, "Education and the social web: Connective learning and the commercial imperative" by Norm Friesen, Friesen argues that "commercial social networks are much less about circulating knowledge than they are about connecting users with advertisers."  He focuses his article on Facebook, Twitter, and Diggs and brings about four points: learning in a 2.0 web, the media business model, the use of an algorithm to define audiences, and connectivist and commercial priorities.  All in all, has the social network evolved into a controlled world led by advertisers?

Before this article, I never really looked at social networking as benefiting or being based upon education.  Although it might have begun with that intention or has been marketed to be of education, I have never thought of it as such.  When Friesen discusses the business plans of such social moguls like Facebook, Twitter, and Diggs, he mentions that their business model "...restricts their informational design that detract from learner control and educational use."  Isn't most everything influenced and led by advertisers and a higher being? Although, social networks claim to have begun from education and were geared toward learners and benefiting them, it most always evolves into commercialism if it wants to grow and succeed. 

Though there are aims in pushing social networking within the classrooms and education, we need to accept the fact that it is already there.  Commercialism and advertisements are going to be what run the sites and or apps and lead the user to where they want whether it be to other advertisements or to higher click counts.  Social media is being used in education, but not as excitingly.  Perhaps, if it is to be more educationally geared, then we as clickers, viewers, or subscribers should create that trend and lesson the commercialism.




Q1:  Do you think Facebook, Twitter, and Diggs can be more geared toward education and still have the advertisements within it?  


A1:  Yes, I believe that if teachers use it within their classrooms, they have to set the precedence, guidelines and rules and restrictions.  Parents have to be involved as well working together with the teacher to ensure that it is strictly used for education.  The difficulty with that is that students are intelligent and quite tech savvy.  They were born and raised in this technology and social networking and know how to navigate through it even with restrictions.  We should learn to to work with it and not against it as far as advertisements are concerned.  Commercial pressure may limit the social web for education, but not if we don't let it. 



Q2:  Friesen expresses his belief that "Education is clearly a social process."  Do you believe in that?

A2:  I believe that education is always evolving.  What was once learned through experience and textbooks is not learning through experience, textbooks, social media, and peers everywhere around the world.  Education has become less limited and more open to whomever wants to learn it.  Even though it has a lot to do with commercialism, many things in life is because of commercialism.  We as a society are guided by what we see and hear.  It is up to us to determine which path we want to go down even if it is a path led by someone else.  It is up to us to evaluate the decisions and create the outcome.