[Xmca-l] Re: risk awareness and aversion in online spaces

[Ian O'Byrne]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for reaching out. Specifically, we had teachers creating and sharing
content on Twitter. There tends to be this concern, or awareness with the
teachers that the content that they are sharing is impacting their digital
identity...and also their identity. Our hypothesis is that the more savvy
users are considering this socially constructed identity of an "educator"
and that impacts the content they share online...and how much they share.

We had participants indicate that the content and identity they portrayed
online was either just like their offline identity (or the complete
opposite) as they considered what society wanted educators to be online.
Some accepted this and cleaned up what they shared...others were aware the
potential risk involved...but wanted to be "themselves" and just posted it
anyway.

It's an intriguing mix of identity, identity construction, cultural theory,
hegemony, and the risk piece we're trying to unpack.

Thanks again,
-Ian

On Fri Nov 28 2014 at 2:44:02 PM Glassman, Michael <glassman.13@osu.edu>
wrote:

> Hi Ian,
>
> This is a little general.  What type of risk awareness and/or aversion.
> Is it a general sense of Internet anxiety - there has been some research on
> this?  Or is it an aversion to specific activities on the Internet.  For
> instance some of the research we have been doing suggests that individuals
> (in this case college students) have different levels of aversion between
> simply communicating on the Internet, worries about whether they will be
> overwhelmed with data, or whether they actually put themselves out on the
> Internet in terms of actually generating new information, or even
> responding to the posts of others.  Our findings suggest much greater
> confidence (actually self-efficacy) in communication and being able to
> handle a lot of information, less in actually posting.
>
> Or is it a fear on teachers' part that students will know more about using
> the Internet than they do and fear using it and giving up their place as
> experts in the educational process.  There is some (not much) research on
> this - and it might be partially urban legend.
>
> Anyway, just interested if you are finding something more specific.
>
> Michael
> ________________________________________
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu]
> on behalf of Ian O'Byrne [wiobyrne@gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, November 28, 2014 2:11 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Cc: juliebwise@comcast.net
> Subject: [Xmca-l]  risk awareness and aversion in online spaces
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> In our research we're seeing signs of this form of risk awareness and/or
> aversion as it relates to digital identity construction and sharing in
> online spaces. Specifically, participants are making decisions about what &
> how to share content in online spaces while considering what others will
> think about their digital identity as an educator.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing this in their work...and what
> citations or literature do you reference. We're having trouble nailing down
> a specific field or construct.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -Ian
>
>