Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space:

Benefits:

– Increased visibility for your platform/message/cause

– Building a community of people with similar values and/or collaborators

– Gaining feedback/giving feedback and creating a dialogue with others

Risks:

– Privacy breaches- risks of stranger danger or people with bad intentions getting a hold of your information based on your engagement on a public platform

– Negative toll on your mental health from criticism and harassment.

– Negative effects on your personal reputation if community guidelines are breached and/or the public agrees something you have said or done is unethical or wrong

– Misinformation being spread online without facts to back it up

What are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

– Security threats

– Damage to reputation

– Negativity online : personal and professional criticism

How to address negative replies and critiques that reflect your personal values and employer’s social media policy?

First, it is important to stay calm and not blurt out a quick response to the negativity, this can just make the situation worse. Second, it is important to maintain professionalism and acknowledge the critics perspective, making them feel validated. If the critique involves your employer, perhaps it is important to communicate with your employer to let them know the situation, they might not want you to get involved at all. Furthermore, in some cases it is a good idea to deal with criticism in private, for example, if it is a negative comment, perhaps message the person privately to communicate with them. Lastly, it is important to separate online and reality, letting this criticism get to you can have a negative impact on your mental health and in reality, there will always be someone who disagrees with you.

What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

The benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy is that you can effectively navigate and contribute to social media. It means you will understand the guidelines and ethics of having an online presence. It means you will have the tools to navigate misinformation. It means you will have the skills to create and build your own platform using different forms of multimedia. It also means knowing when to ask permission to use certain material in your PLN.