Social Networking – More Stress than Benefit?

Has technology eased our lives or created even greater demands? A recent animated POD listserv discussion about using Twitter in the classroom, an example posted to YouTube, and a Web 2.0 presentation during a College of Liberal Arts retreat in June made me realize that I am woefully behind in the technology race and rapidly losing ground. This came as a shock given my involvement in assisting faculty with technology inclusion in their courses over the past ten years and my own hybrid course delivery background. I had been an early adopter, a tech innovator; now, I see myself falling behind as social networking sites emerge in a sort of cell division rapidity! I even turned to my daughter when students emailed requests to add me as a “link” to their Linked-In networks. We spent part of Easter Sunday setting up my Linked-In profile, though it took me many more months before I responded to those student requests and actually added them as “links.” My page remains a work in progress, though I’ve considered simply posting a resume or CV to fill the gap.

Twitter? I’ve not made the leap, and as the 50+ crowd emerges as a leader in Facebook site creation, I feel slightly overwhelmed. Now I’m being left behind by those in my own age range! My sister recently told me that her neice, an elementary school teacher working on her MEd and school administration certification, was shocked and disappointed when she searched for my Facebook page that didn’t exist. After all, as an educator whose research interest is teaching with technology, where was I? Maybe I need to reorganize, but I’m finding myself drowning in the very technology I had once embraced.

With our chapter’s recent creation of this blog and the Web site’s Forum – thanks again, Wayne – I am again scrambling to keep pace. Yes, it had been my dream to create a tool to connect alumni and current student members, to alert everyone to community service and social events. And, yet, this has created one more chore (although a welcome one) in an already weighty “To Do” list. And, it seems I’m not alone. Despite emails to members about the Mu Eta Web site as a connectivity tool to better link members of the honor society, only a small number have signed on and fewer have joined in the discussion. Is this indifference, lack of interest in the blog or forum topics, or simply a matter of “no time”? Are we perhaps too connected, too linked to the world?

I’ve begun to wonder if maybe the technology I embraced has gotten a stranglehold on me! True, I love being able to use my cell phone if I’m running late or lost; I’ve even used it to find my daughter in a mall. And, I love the creativity it brings to teaching, especially the links between classroom practice and real-world applications. But, many nights I’ve been online into the wee hours – participating in my online class discussions, checking email, checking and updating the Mu Eta site, etc. — and I’m not even on Twitter! And, I’m not alone. Many of my students respond to 2:00 AM emails or online discussion posts. Twitter, Facebook, email, blogs, online discussions — social networking seems to be the new drug of choice.

So, have we created opportunities for greater connectivity or a sort of electronic leash that binds us to the very tool we embrace? Should I be twittering? Or, should I resist the urge to follow the crowd and add one more tech item to my “To Do” list?

D. Camin
Mu Eta Chapter Councilor