What does it mean to network using social media?

Social media is used as a platform for people to connect with others. Social media like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN, and others are used for people all around the world to connect with others that share similar interests. You can create a bigger social network or network circle by meeting and connecting with new people by adding them. Similar to making friends at school, social media acts as a virtual environment for people to talk and chat without even having the need to meet.

 How are we motivated to participate in networked publics? 

We are motivated to participate in networked publics as they become increasingly popular. Each public network has their own unique attributes that attract their users to use them. Snapchat is an example of using disappearing messages to attract users to focus on the chat before it vanishes. Instagram focuses on small picture blocks that express each user differently. While LinkedIn is more solely focused on linking users with potential companies that are hiring which give users a motivation to build their “resume” on the website as a profile.

 What are the risks & rewards of public communications? 

The biggest rewards of public communications is the ability to easily connect with anyone anywhere in the world. The possibly to meet new people increases significantly as well. However the risks are for personal information to be given to strangers and possibly have unwanted people try to connect with you. For personal information to be so readily available to others on the web is probably the biggest risk public communication has. However, taking precautions can help with reducing risk by limiting the amount of personal information that others can see.

References:

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644