Network(s)

So the past week was spent pondering digital networks – their value to me and others, how I choose to represent myself in online networks, and how I see others represented in online networks. Some recent discussions with colleagues brought up concerns about the authenticity of how some people present themselves online, whether in individual posts or in group discussions. Yes, it is possible to be authentic when writing and dialoguing online, despite the fact that for many it is challenging to convey tone and inflection in writing. However, I know I am not alone in expressing my disappointment in seeing a post that reads as unnecessary self-promotion or a post that is unquestionably inflammatory. In both instances, chances are the author is not presenting their true nature - or are they?

I can’t resist the connection to Peter Finch’s outstanding performance in the 1976 movie “Network” (pun intended):

Now, I don’t get angry like that at online misrepresentation, but my frustration with how some choose to engage others online is perhaps what causes me to be reluctant to dive headfirst into the deep end of online engagement. (This is perhaps why I find my initial forays into Twitter awkward and clunky.)

I was intrigued with point/counterpoint presented in the following articles:

WhyAcademics Should NOT Make Time for Social Media, by Gabriel Egan

WhyAcademics Should Make Time for Social Media, by Andy Miah

The naysayer above worries about personal transformation in repeated engagement with social media, fearing that it feeds a craving for others’ approval; he also advocates for weaning students off of social media and helping them “think more ambitiously about how they interact with the wider world.”

The proponent, however, posits that academics need to understand and relate to social media because this is how students are communicating with each other, and that instructors and institutions need to be able to engage with students in these platforms.

Where do I stand? Yes, I am dismayed at how some people are obsessed with maintaining their online connections with other people, that they have a hard time going 60 minutes without checking for a post or a message; I see that craving for recognition and approval that Egan laments, and I am mystified. But I also see that, while there can be richer ways to “interact with the wider world”, there are also an ever-growing number of ways for people to interact and function online – and this functionality is not going to go away. We as academics must be compelled to understand both the benefits and the drawbacks of these new platforms. I believe that my challenge—as an instructor—is to educate myself as to the ways that my students are functioning and need to be functioning online and attempt to meet them where they are – without sacrificing who I am. I believe that the challenge facing my students—my music education students, in particular—is to transform themselves somewhat as they grow into their teacher identities. How will they continue to represent themselves online and will that be the best representation of themselves as leaders in the classroom?  

Band Directors Group - FTW

In the course of the classes I teach, I find myself regularly reminding my music education students that they are now part of a very large network of teachers and that they should never feel isolated as they inch closer to running their own music programs. So this often leads to discussions regarding how you can be connected both on- and offline. One of the best concepts of networking online that I have encountered is a group on Facebook called the Band Directors Group. It is a closed group, dedicated to being a place where band directors at all levels can seek answers to problems and help each other out; it’s also a place where directors vent their frustrations and celebrate their successes. I see a wide range of highly relevant topics, and I see responses that are consistently respectful,  supportive, and authentic. The group is administered very well, and the administrators are quick to step in if they feel that someone is close to crossing a line. There is even a file repository set up for people to post resources that they want to freely share with others. College music majors are allowed to join this group, but they are requested not to post any comments until they are actually working in the field.

The existence of the Band Directors Group is one of the strongest reasons I can think of NOT to wean students off social media. It is a think tank, a brain trust, a community of people seeking to do the right thing. To me, it is a wonderful example of professionals connecting in the best possible way and for all the right reasons – outstanding professional growth. That is what I seek in any sort of network: the chance to represent my true self and contribute to the conversation and to come away with something to inform my own work.