You are What you Share

You are what you share



As a society and in particular the western world we have embraced the age of sharing all aspects of our lives online. This has become very easy with the rise of social sharing sites, such as Facebook where people share short stories and photo albums of their lives. Instagram has been a powerful photo sharing site that, in my opinion shares more positive aspects of people's lives, as words are limited and for the most people share the good parts of their lives and don’t get caught up in online arguments like those in Facebook. Google Plus connects us with people who have similar interests and Twitter gives us selective capability to share our thoughts with the limitation of 140 characters. Snapchat is even more selective as the images shared only last for ten seconds and they are gone. Linked in is particularly focused on business interests and sharing with a view to attracting an employer or employee. Online sharing often promotes an idealized vision and may not reveal the real aspects of our lives. It is selective sharing. Sharing thoughts and ideas and research towards building new knowledge and understandings can, however, bring positive change.


Charles W. Leadbeater in his article "We-think : The Power of Mass Creativity - Mass Innovation, not mass production" discusses the notion that we can harness the Internet to create and innovate. New forms of scientific research and political campaigning are utilized by the use of Wikipedia, YouTube and Craigslist. He terms the collaboration on this media "we-think". Social media is a catalyst for a new kind of society - one where we work together to create new norms and knowledge. This cultural shift has resulted in a globalization of information and knowledge creation.



The power of mass creativity has changed the way we view knowledge as a fixed notion. As researchers, scientists and innovators collaborate to explore new ideas knowledge becomes fluid. I- think becomes we-think. This can only be seen as a positive step for humankind.

Alternatively we need to look at all aspects of this we-think notion and the dangers inherent in sharing. People tend to share their thoughts and ideas on social media to present to the world a biased view of themselves as they profess to be. We do not see the real person but the persona they would like to be. Facebook is full of people pushing negative ideas and political views which may be damaging to others. It opens up to dangerous groups of like minded people who push for extreme political views, pornography and may promote hate and negativity.

Zealous sharing of all parts of our lives opens us up to others that may not have our best interests at heart. Hackers find out all about you and may get into all your accounts. . Marketing companies stealthily find out all about you so they can target you specifically. Children are particularly susceptable to social media as predators stalk the Internet waiting to groom vulnerable children. Cyber bullying is prevalent in social media sites and has often resulted in victims committing suicide. There is a dark side to the web with social media groups and while mass creativity can have a positive side we need to be aware of the challenges that come with the power of social media.



What is your take on 'you are what you share'?
Do you regularly share your life on social media?
Have you ever had any negative experiences with it?
What might be the challenges of mass creativity on the web?
How can we harness this potential for the good of humankind?
I look forward to reading your comments.

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