Podcast transcript: Digital Engagement
Hi from the Library Student Team! This podcast will focus on Week 2: Digital Engagement and Week 3: Critical Analysis in a Digital World.
TRANSCRIPT
ST1:Hi- my name is ST1 [insert name here] and my colleague ST2 [insert name here] is also with me from the Library Student Team for this week’s podcast.
Today we are discussing the work from Week 2 focusing on Digital Engagement and Week 3 looking at Critical Analysis in a Digital World.
ST2: Week 2 covered topics looking at engagement between people and within organisations. You were also introduced to the concepts of analogue versus digital technology, which then led to your discussion on how our type of engagement has changed as a result of the recent pandemic.
ST1: In Week 3, you cover topics like fake news, how to best critically evaluate information found online and you had the opportunity to practice and refine your critical reading skills. There was also an opportunity to share ideas amongst others to best refine your critical analysis.
— -
ST2: Let’s start with a chat about Digital Engagement.
ST1: What was interesting to see here is the discussion around digital providing greater connection that is also much more speedy and efficient, yet face-to-face encompasses tone, emotions and better expression. This potentially leads to deeper communication. Essentially, interactions either in person or via digital communication are often different. Reflecting on this, I think it is interesting to think about, as some mentioned, about being limited to geographical proximity. For me this brings up considerations around accessibility to communications when face-to-face is not possible but also if digital does not allow for more deep meaningful interactions. This could be very isolating for some that don’t have the analogue option.
ST2l: As another person mentioned, a phone call can allow for deeper connection with someone through talking if face to face is not possible. Though again, this has implications for those with hearing disabilities as well as possibly reducing understanding through lack body gestures. It is interesting to see how emojis and other visual graphics have helped with these issues though too, but again, with a visual disability, this is another issue to consider.
ST1: Yes, I agree with those of you who have suggested that there is a vast difference in these types of engagements because of the impact of body language and facial expression. [ST2]’s point about digital engagement being a barrier for those who are deaf or live with hearing loss raising the question over whether analogue or digital engagement is most inclusive. Like [ST2], I can definitely see it from both angles, a message on a phone can be accessed by many more people than an in-person conversation, but you can misinterpret meaning easier and it can be a more isolating interaction than a face-to-face conversation.
ST2: Your content and discussion moved forward to looking at data and information through websites such as social media. I found it interesting about information being passive as something for people to read, versus the information being data used by other people or organisations, making that person or their data into a product. I think this raises questions around autonomy and choice when it comes to digital platforms. Like, if the only way someone is able to stay in communication with others is via digital platforms, what does this mean for their choice in how their data will be used by organisations? How will this influence what information may come to them through adverts perhaps?
ST1: I would have to agree with you, the idea of privacy becoming compromised through more digital engagement is concerning, particularly as we spend more and more time online, whether that be through work, school or socialising. This seems like an especially relevant topic, as there have definitely been changes in the way we communicate with one another in recent years. Many of us have engaged with some of our closest friends and family members virtually, rather than face-to-face since the pandemic. There have been many of you commenting that we communicate much more now using digital engagement via video chats and virtual messaging, and I would absolutely agree. I know many people feel their ability to engage in face-to-face social situations has been greatly impacted, and I often think of young children who were born during the pandemic who spent the first few years of their lives engaging face-to-face with very few people- they have totally different experiences of analogue engagement than we do! A lot of interesting research has been carried out around young people and the affect the pandemic had on their communication skills.
ST2: I can totally see that, a lot of empathy to those who have been brought up during and still experiencing the impacts of the pandemic.
ST1: This brings to mind interesting retronym examples: in person vs virtual. Before the pandemic, if someone were to say they had a meeting or lecture to attend, it would just be assumed to be in an office or on campus, almost certainly face-to-face. More recently however, we would perhaps ask the question: is it virtual or in person? These are also two scenarios which pose engagement in varied ways- analogue in person, and digital online. I wonder which would be preferred by our students?
ST2: Let’s move onto the subject of Week 3: Critical analysis in a digital world.
ST2: Many of you have identified a connection between social media and an increased need to critically analyse content, and I think this is a sentiment shared by the majority of those who engage with social media platforms. If we take into consideration your comments about what it means to be critical, I would have to agree that we should absolutely be evaluating social media posts critically. Terminology used by many of you when defining what it means to be critical included: analyse, evaluate, weigh up, contextualise- and these are all great examples of how we should approach content we are engaging with from social media.
ST1: You will have investigated the phenomenon of ‘fake news’ which calls for constant critical engagement and evaluation of content we’re consuming online. It’s absolutely essential to use these skills when tackling possible misinformation online, and your understanding of what it means to be critical will certainly put you in a great position to do this!
ST2: I agree, being critical really is key to help reduce and question misinformation. It was great to hear your experiences where you have had to bring in critical thinking in digital spaces. I thought it was great to see awareness from you thinking about how quickly digital platforms such as social media allow false information to spread. Clickbait and exaggerated titles for sources were also mentioned. This is such an important area to be mindful of. As a couple of people mentioned, even mainstream sources can be guilty of similar actions and hold certain biases, which is very important to remain critical of, no matter their general reputation. This is something you could all think about when you reflect on this podcast- why do you think these sources use these tactics of clickbait and exaggerated titles?
ST1: When thinking about being critical too, I liked that the idea of context was raised. To me, this highlights how important it is to not generalise, even with some things that may be so-called facts communicated to us and nuance is always included in discussions. As it was mentioned in the text too, it’s important to remember that being critical is not negative, it is important to question your sources. This is also something to remember when working on your assessments, as being critical is something that you will be marked on in the next two assignments for this module.
ST2: You all have explored AI, with it being such a big topic to discuss and is likely to continue to be for a good while. Seeing that there are many debates pro and against AI and being wary of bias, such as racial bias when hiring in workplaces, is very important as it demonstrates the real life impact these technologies can have. And also, raising the idea that AI requires human influence on the programming side really shows how much people are still involved with technology.
— -
ST1: While the topics we have covered have been specific, we can see just how much this has inspired you all to draw upon your own knowledge in relation to questions within the digital sphere so far. It is important to remain critical with so much information out there, not necessarily always knowing what to trust or not. But keeping in the nuance, context and critical angle can help make your own decisions around sources.
ST2: Lots of information has been covered in this short conversation, but we hope you have enjoyed getting a better understanding of digital engagement, how we interact online and why critical analysis is so important in the Digital Society.
ST1: Thank you for contributions, it’s great to see so many of you engaging with the content and we hope it continues to intrigue and excite you!
