Using the Visitors and Residents paradigm by White & LeCornu (2011) and the mapping framework developed by White (2013), I have created a Visitor vs. Resident conceptual map that highlights my use of digital tools for both personal and professional use.
White & LeCornu (2011) define being a visitor as using a digital tool to perform a specific task. Once the task is complete, the individual ceases using the tool and does not use it again until it is required. They go on to define a resident as a person who lives within the digital setting, spending time with other individuals and building relationships.
From these definitions, A significant amount of reflection went into creating my map to determine my use of digital tools. Due to working in a higher education setting, some applications are used for personal and professional purposes, with purposes sometimes differing from being a digital resident to being a digital visitor.
The start of my studies at Royal Roads University has also brought on the use of new tools for professional purposes. While using WhatsApp, I am very much a visitor who only uses the application when needed. On Twitter, I am trying to build a network with my fellow classmates, professors and the institution of Royal Roads. I look at social media networks as a place to be a resident and build meaningful relationships and connections.
Although I have separate social media accounts for personal and professional uses, the profile settings are set to be public on my Instagram and Twitter accounts. Even though public profiles have the ability to be accessed by anyone with internet access, a very limited number of people are likely to view the profile (Boyd, 2011). With the ability of any individual accessing the page, I take the approach to keep all posts appropriate to the wide variety of people in my networks and beyond.
With this new knowledge of being a digital visitor and resident, I will continue to reflect on my uses of these digital tools to help build more purposeful uses in my personal and professional lives.
References
Boyd, D. (2011). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In Z. Papacharissi (Ed.), A Networked Self (pp. 39–58). New York, NY: Rutledge.
White, D. S., & LeCornu, A. (2011). Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9).
White, D. S. (2013, September 13). Just the Mapping. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSK1Iw1XtwQ
cboyce says:
Hi Brandon,
Great post and immediately I notice two things.
1) That we are both held in residency with our Linkedin accounts as we regularly use them to create professional connections and new contacts.
2) That you are managing so many more applications and online platforms than me. I wonder, because I know that you also teach, if you have had the opportunity to reflect on how this volume of online residency would impact your students if they were also using multiple platforms extensively? Rheingold (2010) mentions using a strategy of informing learners about attention in attempt to highlight the myriad of distractions they must incur while sitting in one of his classes. Do you use any specific techniques to keep learner attention focused in your classes?
References:
Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies. Educause Review, 45(5), 14.
Brandon Carson says:
Christy, that is an excellent question. One of the reasons I use several social media applications is to connect and communicate with students. I teach a wide-range of students, who use different social networks. By being on a variety of platforms, it allows me more opportunities to connect with each and every student.
I am also blessed that while in the classroom, most students are paying attention. We are often performing tasks together, so if they disengage, it is easy to fall behind quickly. In instances where distractions occur, I have seen faculty successfully incorporate rules where screens must be off during certain portions of the class.
t1heck says:
Hi Brandon,
I was surprised to see you were less of a resident on technology than I would have expected given your professional background. Was that a conscious decision to lessen your digital footprint or just a co-incidence?
Brandon Carson says:
Hello Tanya,
Yes, it was a very conscious decision on my end. Through social media training I received in the past, I was taught to do a few platforms very well vs. doing many platforms mediocre. With that being said, for the purposes of my personal business and my full-time job, I do stay up-to-date on using each platform to ensure I can guide clients and faculty on the platforms that would best suit their needs.