With the development of technology, social media has become more and more diverse. These large number of social networks are forming an online city. In this “city”, we are building many personal learning networks. At present, the major social networks include Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, which constitute our diverse social networks. In these different social networks, we share different things, because the people we want to share information are different.
We share more life dynamics on Facebook, and the audience is more our family and friends. What we can see and learn is also more close to our hobbies. Instagram is even more so. We will share some pictures and small videos in life, and we will also see sharing in line with our own interests and hobbies. For example, I like playing golf. I often watch some golf teaching videos to learn actions and playing methods. For another example, I like food. I often watch more videos of food bloggers to learn cooking skills. In addition to these two large social networks, some social networks are more differentiated. For example, Athlinks is a social network for people who love sports. For a man who loves running, Athlinks has become a circle of friends when he runs. This social network automatically imports his running results and sports preferences, and more simply shares some relevant information, such as a pair of running shoes he recently bought or a set of absurd running routes he designed. Other users can learn some professional knowledge from his sharing. These social networks form a part of our personal learning network that is closer to life and interests. In contrast, there are some social networks closer to our career.
LinkedIn is a social network with a very unique purpose. Walking into LinkedIn is like walking into a recruitment market or a formal social activity. I will be very reserved in it. I will only share some career related or employment related information. Moreover, I will only keep in touch with some other professionals I think are relevant. On this social network, my learning content is more professional. It forms the part of my personal learning network close to my career.
In addition to these social media mentioned above, I also use many other apps with social functions. For example, when I buy a book on Amazon, I can see the messages of other buyers and learn about the general content and style of the book, which is also a part of my personal learning network. Therefore, on the whole, my personal learning network is very diverse. I think with the development of society, this diversity will only become more and more obvious, which is beneficial to the construction of my personal learning network.