"Deep Digital Connections"

During our EC&I 831 class this week our guest lecturer,  Richard Schwier, spoke about connections and contexts in a digital community.  This was an interesting topic for me, and one that I am definitely not familiar with.  I am a rather private person and keep a few very close relationships with people.  The idea of creating "deep digital connections" with online community members I have never met is completely foreign to me.  I listened intently to the discussion and followed the chat window throughout the class, but found myself as more of an "active spectator".  However, this is not necessarily out of character for me.  In my face-to-face interactions with people I have known for years I am definitely not one to offer my opinion without careful thought and consideration.    It should come as no surprise then, that this characteristic remains true in my online identity as well.

In teaching students about digital citizenship we often speak about having your online persona match your real-life personality.  I can remember lecturing to students, "Don't say or do anything online that you wouldn't do in real life."  Because many youth (and adults) feel a sense of anonymity while interacting online, there are times when they feel they can say or do things they would never consider appropriate in real life.  Cyberbullying is an example of this.  People who would never speak negatively or hatefully about someone feel safe to do so from behind the protection of their computer screen.

However, maybe there are times where this anonymity can lead to positive outcomes.  Online discussion forums in blended learning classes provide students who do verbalize their opinions in class the opportunity to have their ideas heard.  Some people do require a chance to synthesize their thoughts and to form their opinions before speaking to others.  Unlike face-to-face discussions, commenting on posts and blogs offers people like this the chance to respond on their own time without the pressure of finding just the right thing to say at that moment. 

Whether introverted or extroverted, the desire to belong is a basic human need.  Richard pointed out that online communities can be very real, and participation in these communities can help fulfill this need.  I enjoyed reading the blog post he referenced during the discussion entitled "Cookielady's Last Batch."  The way Alan Levine's online community reached out to support him was touching, and was a good example of someone who has built deep digital connections.

It reminded me of a similar story a presenter shared at an Ed. Tech. conference I attended.  The speaker told a story of a man looking for someone to fix the last picture of his mom.  She had recently passed away, and the last picture he had of her included her oxygen hose.  He posted a request to an online forum hoping a person in his digital community with Photoshop skills would be able to edit the photo to remove the hose.  What he received in return was dozens of condolences from friends and strangers, accompanied by digitally improved photographs of his mom.  Ewan McIntosh provides a complete account of the story in his post: Collaboration with a point: Help Me Fix The Last Picture of My Mom.

This got me thinking of the trust this man had in his digital community.  Numerous positive online experiences and many deep relationships must have been built for him to think to turn to this community to fulfill his request.  Through EC&I 831 I am beginning to take small steps towards building my trust and faith in my online personal network.