As I begin this blog on social media, I’d like to introduce myself with my social media profile - Facebook, to be precise!

Dive into 3 personality tests - along with one bonus round test - to explore which personality traits I bring (and don't bring) to my PLN spaces.

Developing a more nuanced understanding of how algorithms work is like taking a trip into the kitchen of that restaurant, seeing what's going on behind the scenes - inner workings that social media sites don't necessarily want users to know.

Kids and the internet. It's a combination that can make educators and librarians break into a nervous sweat. How can libraries with public internet access ensure that computers, tablets, and other library technologies are used acceptably?

Now look back at your phone, or computer, or whatever screen you're using. Just imagine, all your Facebook friends crammed like sardines in this one room. They're watching what you type, what photos you include, and how you respond to comments. It wouldn't feel nearly as private, would it? For me, that's 140 people seeing my digital tattoo - or in other words, my digital persona.

Are kids going to stop watching their favorite YouTube videos simply because they don't fall under the "under 13" category? On the contrary, I'd attest that our tech savvy kids and teens will simply include whichever magic number grants them access to the technology they enjoy and the content they enjoy. As said by researcher danah boyd, "On the internet, every child is 14." 

If my silly little broccoli photo had that much context, what does that say about the larger world of media? Advertisements. Music. Television. Games. Apps. Socials. We are surrounded, if not bombarded, by media. Although we can certainly navigate media without developing our media literacy, we're left at a disadvantage when we do so.

Could I truly go off the grid, taking a social media sabbatical? The idea tantalized and terrified me. The fact that I was anxious about disconnecting further piqued my curiosity. Where was this anxiety coming from? How could I work through it? The only way to know was to try. Hence, I disconnected from social media for three days.