R5: My Social Media Footprint

"Just as actors on stage know that they are being watched by the audience and tailor their behavior to find the best effect, effective use of social media implies selecting and framing content with a view to pleasing and/or impressing a certain crowd," (Rayner 2012).

Social media is a constant in our lives. We are constantly thinking about our next Tumblr post, Instagram post (and now story??), tweet, blog post, snap, what have you. Our generation and the next to follow will forever be connected through social media platforms and the anxiety that follows what content we create and decide to post up on the Inter-webs. After reading Tim Rayner's posts on "Foucault and social media: life in a virtual panopticon", I have come to realize and look at my identity on social media, or as Foucault himself termed it my "subjectivity". 

Subjectivity as Foucault explains it (and how I understand it to be) is how we shape our identity among our peers and the public. In relation to social media its the content we create and post. On blogs its our opinions on pop culture themes and politics. On Facebook, its practically the same thing with your "friends" liking and sharing your posts or links to articles. 

As for me and my social media footprint, I post the bare minimum on the platforms I am on. Tumblr is the main social media platform I use because I am welcomed by a community of creative creators who post like-minded topics and fan-art/fanfiction to the pop culture (Harry Potter, Disney, Doctor Who) topics we love and share in common. I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family who live overseas. I rarely post links to articles on Facebook (I will occasionally share one or two a month). I mainly use my social media to stay up-to-date on news topics. 

A post of mine on Instagram a few weeks ago. I shared this post to Facebook because I have friends who share the same love of Disney and the new Beauty and the Beast film. It got a few likes from friends I have that live near Disney World (whom I met on my College Program) as well as close family (my cousins, sisters, and aunt). 

Links I would post on social media:

Here are some links to things I would probably post. On Facebook it would be more likely that I would share them with close family by tagging them in the post, or they would be links to articles my friends have posted that I will like and share to my wall. 

This is a link I shared on my wall:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/congress-sides-cable-and-telephone-industry

I felt that this was relevant at the time because it affects so many of us.

Here is another article I would post or like if it popped up on my feed. (Excited for the new season!)

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-04-04/theres-a-surprise-so-big-in-the-new-series-of-doctor-who-that-it-comes-with-a-countdown

Links I wouldn't post on social media:

Here are some links that I wouldn't necessarily post on social media because I don't really have much of and identity. However they are links to articles or topics I would still read about and not necessarily share. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/syria-airstrike-idlib-how-it-unfolded/index.html?sr=twCNN040617syria-airstrike-idlib-how-it-unfolded1113AMVODtopLink&linkId=36248248

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/at-un-trump-administration-assails-russia-for-protecting-assad/2017/04/05/28179558-1a0c-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.6484af61ebab

Sources:

Rayner, Tim, “Foucault and Social Media: Life in a Virtual Panopticon (pt.1), I Tweet, Therefore I Become (pt. 2), and The Call of the Crowd (pt. 3),” Philosophy for Change, 6/21/12, 7/4/12, 7/26/12, http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/foucault-and-social-media-life-in-a-virtual-panopticon/  (Viewed 4/6/17)

Said-Moorhouse, Lauren. Tilotta, Sarah. "From airstrike to aftermath: How a chemical attack in Syria unfolded". CNN.com. April 6, 2017. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/syria-airstrike-idlib-how-it-unfolded/index.html?sr=twCNN040617syria-airstrike-idlib-how-it-unfolded1113AMVODtopLink&linkId=36248248 (viewed 4/6/17)

Gearan, Anne. "Trump condems Syria chemical attack and suggests he will act". WashingtonPost.com. April 5, 2017https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/at-un-trump-administration-assails-russia-for-protecting-assad/2017/04/05/28179558-1a0c-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.6484af61ebab (viewed 4/6/17). 

Jones, Paul. "There's a surprise so big in the new series of Doctor Who that it comes with a countdown...". radiotimes.com. RadioTimes.com. April 4, 2017. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-04-04/theres-a-surprise-so-big-in-the-new-series-of-doctor-who-that-it-comes-with-a-countdown. (viewed 4/6/17).