Whole Through the Presence of Others? Integrity and Participation in Blogs, Social Network Sites, and Eportfolios Darren Cambridge Inter/National Coalition for Electronic Portfolio Research San Francisco, February 27, 2009

Blogs and SNS are Popular 39% of Internet users read blogs 8% write blogs 54% of those authors have never published their writing anywhere else 35% of adults have a social network profile 65% of teens do 94% of college students are on Facebook Millions of users and billions of page views each day

39% of Internet users read blogs

8% write blogs

54% of those authors have never published their writing anywhere else

35% of adults have a social network profile

65% of teens do

94% of college students are on Facebook

Millions of users and billions of page views each day

Being popular matters because It suggests intrinsic motivation, which we’d like to understand and tap. There are social practices related to use beyond academic settings we need to take into account.

It suggests intrinsic motivation, which we’d like to understand and tap.

There are social practices related to use beyond academic settings we need to take into account.

Blogs, SNS, and Eportfolios: Personal 90% of blogs have a single author 70.4% classified as “personal journal” and 76% “document personal experiences” to “log your being” or as “catharsis” Egocentric: Social networks organized around people rather groups organized around interests

90% of blogs have a single author

70.4% classified as “personal journal” and 76% “document personal experiences” to “log your being” or as “catharsis”

Egocentric: Social networks organized around people rather groups organized around interests

Blogs and SNS: Social 87% of blogs allow comments 51.2% link to other blogs and over 1/3 of posts contain links Average college student has 150 – 200 friends on Facebook 85% of teens have written on someone’s “wall” in an SNS, and 82% have sent messages within the system Eportfolios?

87% of blogs allow comments

51.2% link to other blogs and over 1/3 of posts contain links

Average college student has 150 – 200 friends on Facebook

85% of teens have written on someone’s “wall” in an SNS, and 82% have sent messages within the system

Eportfolios?

Personal focus on social space: Why? Mediated voyeurism Loss of control of personal information Desire to access others’ that seems “unguarded” and “authentic” while limiting demands of interaction Exhibitionism Social validation: “a culture that finds its real in the media” Self-clarification Relationship management

Mediated voyeurism

Loss of control of personal information

Desire to access others’ that seems “unguarded” and “authentic” while limiting demands of interaction

Exhibitionism

Social validation: “a culture that finds its real in the media”

Self-clarification

Relationship management

Relationship management “ Interaction at one remove” Increased interactivity than static webpages More control and less intrusive Building bridging social capital Strong correlation between intensity of SNS use and bridging social capital (weak ties) for college students SNS use has higher impact impact with students with low self-esteem and low satisfaction with college Mirrors higher participation rates for minority and low income adults Lower transaction costs

“ Interaction at one remove”

Increased interactivity than static webpages

More control and less intrusive

Building bridging social capital

Strong correlation between intensity of SNS use and bridging social capital (weak ties) for college students

SNS use has higher impact impact with students with low self-esteem and low satisfaction with college

Mirrors higher participation rates for minority and low income adults

Lower transaction costs

Control in Connection The blog might be understood as a particular reaction to the constant flux of subjectivity, as a generic effort of reflexivity within the subject that creates an eddy of relative stability. Infinite play, constant innovation, is not psychically sustainable on an indefinite basis. In a culture in which the real is both public and mediated, the blog makes ‘real’ the reflexive effort to establish the self against the forces of fragmentation, through expression and connection, through discourse. (Miller & Shepherd, 2004)

The blog might be understood as a particular reaction to the constant flux of subjectivity, as a generic effort of reflexivity within the subject that creates an eddy of relative stability. Infinite play, constant innovation, is not psychically sustainable on an indefinite basis. In a culture in which the real is both public and mediated, the blog makes ‘real’ the reflexive effort to establish the self against the forces of fragmentation, through expression and connection, through discourse. (Miller & Shepherd, 2004)

Fits into the open spaces of daily life Short Average blog post is 210.4 words Mean length of “About Me” is 157 characters ; median is 36 Frequent Time between last and penultimate post mean in 5 days; mode is 1 day 60% of adults access SNS at least several times a week ; 37% access every day Average college student logs in at least once a day Brief 59% of blog writers spend 1-2 hrs/wk Average college students spends 20 minutes/day on SNS

Short

Average blog post is 210.4 words

Mean length of “About Me” is 157 characters ; median is 36

Frequent

Time between last and penultimate post mean in 5 days; mode is 1 day

60% of adults access SNS at least several times a week ; 37% access every day

Average college student logs in at least once a day

Brief

59% of blog writers spend 1-2 hrs/wk

Average college students spends 20 minutes/day on SNS

Database Lowers Transaction Costs Data collection Unstructured “ firstly, a dataset, a list of things” (Jarrett 2004) Interface Provides structure; guide’s the reader’s experience Emphasis of search in blogs and SNS Dynamic selection and arrangement vs. Interface as a composition with an intentionally meaningful selection and arrangement Number of fields completed predicts number of friends but amount of information in them does not

Data collection

Unstructured

“ firstly, a dataset, a list of things” (Jarrett 2004)

Interface

Provides structure; guide’s the reader’s experience

Emphasis of search in blogs and SNS

Dynamic selection and arrangement vs.

Interface as a composition with an intentionally meaningful selection and arrangement

Number of fields completed predicts number of friends but amount of information in them does not

Network Self Creating intentional connections Symphonic Self Achieving integrity of the whole

Network Self

Creating intentional connections

Symphonic Self

Achieving integrity of the whole

Integrity Values, commitments, and actions cohere and interconnect Across personal, professional, and civic roles Over time Made consistent to a systemic understanding of identity

Values, commitments, and actions cohere and interconnect

Across personal, professional, and civic roles

Over time

Made consistent to a systemic understanding of identity

Symphonic Demands of Adult Life

Environments for Growth “ Finding a thread in my life” In both personal and professional domains Learning as attitude toward life Supported by inviting environments rich in content and people Technology as a means to guide and support Communicated by the portfolio as a whole But not situated in an environment that is rich in content not her own of other people

“ Finding a thread in my life”

In both personal and professional domains

Learning as attitude toward life

Supported by inviting environments rich in content and people

Technology as a means to guide and support

Communicated by the portfolio as a whole

But not situated in an environment that is rich in content not her own of other people

Public Displays of Connection Blogroll and friends lists as messages (Donath and boyd, 2004) Intentional performance of identity rather than a transparent representation of a social network beyond the system Network as implicit validation of profile information

Blogroll and friends lists as messages (Donath and boyd, 2004)

Intentional performance of identity rather than a transparent representation of a social network beyond the system

Network as implicit validation of profile information

danah boyd as suicide girl “ impression management is an inescapably collective process” (2008)

“ impression management is an inescapably collective process” (2008)

Participation Copy and paste as a key literacy practice (Perkle 2008) Embedded code Reuse of other-created media and functionality Neither fully production or consumption “ Materially connected”: meaning and functionality dependent on connections Compare to “authorship” and “ownership” and “control”

Copy and paste as a key literacy practice (Perkle 2008)

Embedded code

Reuse of other-created media and functionality

Neither fully production or consumption

“ Materially connected”: meaning and functionality dependent on connections

Compare to “authorship” and “ownership” and “control”

Some Questions How do we mediate between the brevity, frequency, loosely-structured conventions of blog and SNS genres and the more intensive and complex conventions of symphonic portfolios in a way that embraces connection? How do we help students craft public displays of connection as intentional self-representations through their eportfolios? How do we determine when they’re successful? If we embrace participation as a meaningful means of self-representation and reflection, how does that change how we think about evidence and ownership in eportfolios? What is the appropriate balance between coherence and control and malleability and interconnection ?

How do we mediate between the brevity, frequency, loosely-structured conventions of blog and SNS genres and the more intensive and complex conventions of symphonic portfolios in a way that embraces connection?

How do we help students craft public displays of connection as intentional self-representations through their eportfolios? How do we determine when they’re successful?

If we embrace participation as a meaningful means of self-representation and reflection, how does that change how we think about evidence and ownership in eportfolios?

What is the appropriate balance between coherence and control and malleability and interconnection ?