[MUSIC] And you're seeing that it's fitting in with the kind of etiquette and the way that those spaces work, or that the things that you've done to kind of potentially limit damage, or invest in parts of yourself that you choose not to divulge in spaces to help make those a more manageable space for you. >> I think the trickiest thing with social media, is that you will change, and your life will change, particularly as an academic. So, how you use Twitter as a graduate student will most likely change if you get a permanent post, and you're running a master's program, and now you're using it in some ways to really formalize the kind of information that you're sharing. You have to become very cognizant of what you're trying to get out of those spaces at the same time that you have to learn from those spaces. And be aware of how people are using them, and what's going on there. So I think in terms of curating something or limiting damage, it's again, it's about getting comfortable in the space, knowing its limitations, and being able to kind of pull back even. It can't be everything to everyone [LAUGH], and I think when you're using social media, it's really essential that you are able to also pull away from it at times, and to know that your goals might be changing, that what you'd like to get out of the space is changing. And those can be signals to you that it might be time to even switch a platform. What's worked on Twitter, may now start to become really something that needs to be a blog post. Or even, it's really time to start looking at journal articles. Really find time to do some other type of writing, or perhaps, make other type of media. And so, when you start to feel those frustrations of a space, perhaps, those, you really have to start to be good about reading the signals, and knowing how and where your goals are either being met or compromised. >> Yeah, I know we were talking about earlier as well about stuff, when people are trying to kind of get you into a fight or an argument, knowing when to pull back from those as well. Not just kind of the bigger picture, this is the moment to step away, but also the kind of day-to-day, yeah the moments when maybe you need to have that space [LAUGH]. >> I think this is about being a human being on these spaces, and being, like I said honest and kind of earnest. Your going to get provoked, your going to be frustrated, and your feelings are going to be hurt. Sometimes someone will be rude to you, and I think in some ways, again, this this is that kind of balancing of goals, personal, personal goals and professional goals, and also knowing who you are and what you're doing there. On the one hand, social media specifically can be an opportunity to maybe be your better self, publicly. And to know again, the limitations of the platform, and when to pull back. At the same time, that it's about being curious, and sticking around those spaces enough to understand how they truly do operate, and how you participate in them as well. >> So you have to kind of engage fully, but also know when to kind of step back if you need to, that kind of balance. >> Absolutely, and take a break, there's no mandate that you're on the Internet 24 hours a day. It can be something that you do in managed chunks of time. It can be something that you take a break from for two or three weeks. It can be something that you don't want to do. I mean, this is the other thing, I think, academics really need to understand, is that there's no mandate for you to do this. These are new and interesting spaces to have conversations, to meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet, to get your research out there in a new way, and again, also to be in these spaces curiously and critically, and reflect on who you are and what you're doing. So, I mean I found it to be very rewarding, but at the same time there does have to be a very clear boundary, again, of what this is for, and how much time are you willing to give to it, and to say no to it. I mean, can be quite you know, I'm sure as you know, these faces can also get really intense. >> And do you think how you engage online, in general not just in social media, is informed by the kind of research that you do around visual aid, but maybe it's worth so just saying a little bit briefly about that but- >> Yeah, absolutely. I sometimes feel bad giving advice to other academics, if your a digital sociologist interested in the ways in which people work in and through digital platforms, it might make more sense that you spend a lot of time on Twitter. It might more sense that your curious about the ways people are blogging, and putting themself back to work through blogging, or through creating different kinds of online personas and brands. So very much, I mean, I think my research has encouraged me to spend more time, than perhaps an academic, who really needs to be in an archive somewhere. And those are two different trajectories that we might be on, right? I'm sort of interested in the interactions, I'm interested in the sociology of these spaces, that fuels my research questions. Whereas for another academic, some of these things might feel like an imposition, right? I have to build a website, or I should have a digital presence, or I have to go participate there. So yeah I definitely think that being interested in digital sociology, and interested in the ways we live and work through these new terrains is absolutely part of what's going on here. >> Well I guess conceding of it as a form of work as well is probably part of the particular research that helps you manage the time around it, I would guess. Compare some academics maybe, and other people who struggle to work out how much time to spend or not to spend in them. >> Yes and no, I think it's in the forefront of my mind, but at the same time, I'm you know, human. >> [LAUGH] Just to suck in. >> I'm sucked in, I mean my friends are there. Like I said, I've built an academic community of people that I really do care about in many ways. I care about their well being, and I care about their work, and so I check in regularly. I do have fear of missing out, and that's both professional and personal sometimes. I want to see what people are talking about. But I am aware that this is labor. And I am aware that it is creating value for someone somewhere. And I'd like that to be part of the conversation, especially in academics. What are we doing? You know, what is our work, what is our labor? To me, at this moment, you know still working in social media is a bit of a bridge between institutional labor and the kind of entrepreneurial, academic labor that exists. And it's an interesting place for academics to have that conversation about, where does the university live, what's the value of our work, how do we value the networks that we create together, and again, how do we influence and shape the institutions we work in? >> Thank you very much, I think that's been really interesting, thank you. [MUSIC]
