Ernesto Gluecksmann told us his lifestyle, a lifestyle I never agreed with. It is weird to follow people online you don't know, and then act like you do know them when you meet them. How do you know people post facts online? How can you trust they are using their real identities?
And I only like Twitter because it offers a fast outlet for breaking news. Other tweets do not seem relevant.
But Mr. Gluecksmann is a successful businessman and knows what he is talking about. He says connections are important for moving-up in the work place, and the Internet is the fastest way to keep connections and make new ones. Mutual friends of friends on Facebook make a network of potential references. And, as weird as it sounds, following tweets introduces like-minded people to each other. This establishes strong social ties.
Mr. Gluecksmann's advice on interviews was more appealing though. He gave simple, direct steps on how to give a successful interview. Ask the interviewee about him/herself. Let the interviewee do the talking. Ask open-ended questions to give the interviewee enough to talk about.
And, when all else fails, say nothing. Make the situation awkward and do not give the interviewee the choice but to say more.
I am still unsure over the social networking process, but the interview advice is perfect. And I will use it.
The way people interact via social media is WEIRD. I will give you that much. But the only reason we think things are weird is because they go against what is usual and commonplace.
ReplyDeleteBut if I were to say that the reason Twitter, to use a specific example, is so popular -- at least in many of the professional and social circles I find myself in 90 percent of the time -- is because the concept of what constitutes "usual" interpersonal interactions has fundamentally changed, then you might not think it's as weird as it sounds.
To answer to one of the things you mentioned at the beginning -- many studies, and my own experience with Twitter and other social networks, show that people don't pretend to be someone they aren't online. In fact, people's FAcebook profiles and Twitter conversations turn out to be consistent with their true identities and personalities. I believe this wasn't the case with MySpace when it came out and became overpopulated with predators... but public spaces online have evolved significantly. Additionally, because you can follow links around on the web and very quickly check sources that will confirm whether or not a fact is actually a fact, people are less likely to post inaccurate information online. It would be too easy to catch them.
With social networks and the evolution of Web 2.0, many practices and concepts have changed... fundamentally. Privacy is not privacy in the traditional sense anymore either.
And I could go on, and on.
Thank you for the reflection! I'm glad you will be able to apply some of what Ernesto shared with the class!