This week the professional setting I have chosen to reflect on is a university learning environment. Within universities, digital communities are formed through professional and educational networks such as Brightspace, Microsoft Teams and Mattermost, however, these can also extend to social media platforms. These platforms allow for a majority of individuals to share their opinions, feelings and information with other students and professors. One element that can have a mixed perspective is the idea of sharing oneās thoughts on class material and resources with others and the consequences it can have. A negative consequence that can arise is that individuals may disagree with each other and use social media as a platform to harm them through forms of exploitation, racism and bullying. In addition, as highlighted in the āTell Everyone: why we share and why it mattersā reading, it can also lack institutional structure, further promoting misinformation and negativity online. However, this can lead to shifts in how we view certain conversations about diversity and inclusion online and how we can confront them. This can open the door to opportunities for further research into new ideas, perspectives and experiences that promote diverse voices to be heard and shared in the online community. While educational settings can prove challenging to share oneās perspectives on situations and given classroom tasks, it can also provide the opportunity to confront issues and create a bridge for ideas and perceptions that may be different from one another. Using social media to share ideas, experiences and perspectives can facilitate this process and reach out to other communities outside of a university environment.
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