Field Notes of a Web Surfer pt4: Blogger 4ever

 Hello web surfers,

On a more personal note here, I think blogging is so fun. It kinda feels like journaling, except this journal has followers, and you can read others' thoughts on that time you dropped your coffee and you cried a little. 

I think another takeaway from this experience is realizing the depth of each others' opinions and knowledge on tons of topics. Whether you are a beginner or a subject-matter expert, you are both part of the community, and hey, everyone has to start somewhere no? 

Honestly, I look forward to implementing blogging not only in my future work but also personal life. This not only builds on my own knowledge but also others', so pretty sweet right? 

So please continue blogging, however that looks for you!

Stay safe and warm web-surfers,

Sincerely,

Adri xx

Chapter 12: The End.. or is it?

 Hello my dear surfers,

It seems we've reached that point in the semester where things eventually come to a halt. After a long summer and tons of reading, I think we are due to wrap up. Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd feel so vulnerable writing about research articles and KSC's in Blogger, the home of my pre-teen poetry and writing (don't look it up, thanks!). 

I think my biggest takeaway is the internet is a living, breathing archive, which you (yes, YOU reading this) are a part of. We are constantly sharing information and opinions with each other, which in help turns build the already existing web of information that is available thanks to the Internet and Web 2.0. And since we're all members of this community, it is our responsibility to share our voices responsibly and accurately.

So until we meet again, I'll continue voicing my thoughts and stories to other fellow web-surfers.

Thank you for reading, surf on! 

Best,

Adri xx

Field Notes of a Web Surfer Pt.3: Lost in Meme-lation

 Hi surfers,

Welcome to another entry of my web surfer notes! To keep up with this week's international conversation, I wanted to discuss meme-lation or meme translation.

As some of you may be familiar with (or not, that's okay!) social media doesn't look exactly the same across countries and languages. Back in my teen years (when Tumblr was thriving as a platform and Instagram was still beginning) I realized that a lot of the content I consumed and interacted with was in English. That didn't mean I didn't discuss or repost content in Spanish, but I could definitely feel the shift between communities.

For example, while early memes used to follow the same format: a humorous image with white text at the top and bottom. Because of that, the same meme could travel in between  meant that in-between spheres they could use the same image just with a translated caption. Nowadays, it feels like the knowledge, references and even memes that each community uses are a lot more specific and nuance to their cultural and linguistic references.

This makes me think: how many times has a meme gotten lost in translation and how many have found new meaning as social media has evolved and its global archive has continued to grow?

Until next post,

Adri xx

Chapter 11: The World Wide Web.. for Who?

 Hello surfers!

I hope this finds you well, with finals just around the corner I wish you all the best! 

Anyways, for this week's chapter I'd like to delve a little into all things worldwide (like Pitbull!) and how that looks for social media communities around the world. As complex and nuanced as our world is, it's no surprise that translates to how different countries approach and use social media platforms. 

In a review by Poushter, Bishop, and Chwe (2018) they reported that social network adoption varies widely by country. For example, South Korea reported one of the highest levels of smartphone ownership with 96% of adults owning a smartphone. In contrast, internet use was much lower in several Sub-Saharan African countries where the median 41% between 6 countries.

To provide another perspective, in an article by Panamá América (2026) reported that Instagram was the country's most popular social media platform. Survey respondents indicated using it as their main way to stay informed (63%), compared to traditional media like TV or radio. 

This shows that although social media and the Internet have been normalized in some countries, it has still not fully integrated or been adopted into different cultures. This is evidenced by factors like the global divide on smartphone ownership or social media adoption. 

So, with these numbers in mind, can we really call it the World Wide Web? 

Until next post,

Adri xx

References:

Poushter, J., Bishop, C., Chwe, H., & Pew Research Center. (2018). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries, but plateaus across developed ones. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org

Redacción, nacion.pa@epasa.com, @PanamaAmerica & Redacci\u00f3n, nacion.pa@epasa.com, @PanamaAmerica. (2026, May 24). Panamá se informa por medio de redes sociales. Panamá América. https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/sociedad/panama-se-informa-por-medio-de-redes-sociales-1262018

Field Notes of a Web Surfer Pt2: Media Literacy and Politics

 Hello surfers!

 It is no surprise that in our current world, online environments have become another playground for politics and young people. Whether it's new laws being passed or current happenings, social media users have become more clear where they stand in the political spectrum of ideologies. 

According to Kahne and Bowyer (2019), most of the online political activity occurs within a media ecosystem defines as participatory culture. In participatory culture, engagement is often peer-based, interactive and independent of institutions. Scholars have argued that media literacy needs to be reinforced for young users to leverage these opportunities to share their voice. Their findings also suggest that is is important to recognize how engagement in participatory culture can be just as problematic as traditional participation. 

So with so many readily available resources and opportunities, why is this a responsibility? Media literacy helps users distinguish between credible sources and misinformation, recognize bias, and think critically before sharing information with others. Without these skills, participatory culture can unintentionally contribute to the spread of false information and increased political polarization.

Overall, the concern is not whether young people should participate in online political discussions, but how they participate. Encouraging media literacy empowers individuals to become informed digital citizens who can engage respectfully, evaluate evidence, and contribute thoughtfully to conversations.

See you next week for another chapter of field notes!

Best,

Adri xx

References:

Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2019). Can media literacy education increase digital engagement in politics? Learning Media and Technology, 44(2), 211–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1601108

Chapter 10: Is It Better To Speak or To Die? (Digital Citizenship and Activism)

 Hello surfers,

 "Is it better to speak or to die?", is a quote from the famous queer novel and movie, Call Me By Your Name. This quote refers to whether if it's better to speak and show up honestly or whether it's best to keep quiet. While it is a rather daunting question, it brings up a rather important issue in today's digital world. As digital citizens, the right to talk about our beliefs and share info in a digital setting does not negate our obligation to interact in our digital communities in a responsible way. 

According to Jiang & Gu (2022) "such participatory and critical forms of civic participation in online communities are becoming a pressing concern, particularly at a time of crisis (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic)". In their article, they explore what it means to be a digital citizen by examining how video-makers drew on making resources at a time of crisis. 

Civic participation refers to the organized voluntary activity focused on helping others, including citizen journalism. By reporting and documenting their own experiences and versions of reality, users feel empowered to share their voices in social media. Their findings suggest that these forms of civic participations gave room for communities to have local and global reaches. 

So dear surfer, circling back to our question. When faced with the opportunity to share your voice and reach the world, is it better to speak or to die?

Thank you and stay tuned for this week's field notes!

Best,

Adri xx

References:

Jiang, L., & Gu, M. M. (2022). Understanding youths’ civic participation online: a digital multimodal composing perspective. Learning Media and Technology, 47(4), 537–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2044849

Field Notes of a Web Surfer Pt1: Self-Regulation and Social Media?

 Hello surfers,

Welcome to our field notes section of this week: can social media and self regulated learning (SRL) go together?

When I think of social media, rarely is my first thought "How can doom scrolling help foster self-improvement?". Not only are the very algorithms behind platforms designed to keep us hooked to a dopamine drip, sometimes the content itself is designed to be exaggerated to increase engagement and views or clicks. In one of this week's readings, researchers explored how instructional designers can benefit from this ongoing stream of ideas and knowledge that social media platforms provide. 

In their paper, Muljana and T. Luo (2023) explore instructional designers’ SRL experiences conducting professional learning in social media and the challenges. Their findings report that instructional designers can rely on online communities to seek for advice and support from fellow designers, without providing their full identity. Whether its sharing different approaches or tools, they also commented on benefitting from practicing their critical thinking. Overall, this study proposes that with a regulated approach, professionals can advance their current design practices.

My only question now would be, are there any current social media platforms geared specifically towards instructional designers? If not, I think we might be contemplating a good idea. 

Until next time, surfers! 

Best,

Adri xx

References: 

Muljana, P. S., & Luo, T. (2023). Pursuing professional learning by using social media: how do instructional designers apply self-regulated learning? Research in Learning Technology, 31. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v31.2934

Chapter 9: The Pinterest Case Study

 Hello dear surfers,

Hope you had an awesome break! Today, I want to take a closer look at one of my favorite social knowledge communities (SKC), Pinterest. When we think of Pinterest, it's easy to picture everything from yummy recipes to cute crafts. But due to it's interface and features, researchers have explored how it could be used beyond a more traditional social media platform. In a paper by Sihua et al (2018), how early career teachers could employ Pinterest for curated mathematics curricula and instructional resources.   Their findings suggest that Pinterest serves as a valuable SKC for teachers to share and curate instructional resources, but there is an existing imbalance in the quality and type of mathematics tasks curated, as the tasks themselves and cognitive demands don't align. I think this study does provide an interesting opportunity, which is repurposing certain platforms to serve both students and teachers! Specially in terms of resources, as Pinterest is known for being a living data archive. Overall, researchers also noted that they didn't consider social network analysis within their study. This makes me wonder, could other platforms such as Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter, rip) could be used as instructional or educational resources? 

Until next week!

Best, 

Adri xx

References:

Hu, S., Torphy, K. T., Opperman, A., Jansen, K., & Yun-Jia, L. (2018). What do teachers share within Socialized Knowledge Communities: a case of Pinterest. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 3(2), 97-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-11-2017-0025