For my “other community” I think that I would like to write about children who have been diagnosed with Autism. Autistic children are apart of a separate community that is heavily supported by advocates and those who sympathize with the children’s needs. I have chosen to focus my assignment over these children because my sorority’s philanthropy raises awareness for the organization ‘Autism Speaks’. I also chose this community of children because I work with one young individual who has low functioning, otherwise sever, autism. With my job, I’ve realized how much this young boy has gone through thus far with over coming challenges other children his age had never thought twice about. It is fascinating to see how much he’s learned and how well he works with others to over come this disorder. I would like to analyze more of how other autistic children identify within the community and how the community identifies with them in return.

         I haven’t determined the text I will be referencing for this project however I do believe I will use about the group. I cannot use texts from the group because I will be studying younger children and those who have difficulties with a range of areas. I plan on using a variety of sources such as various online texts and articles. I may also reference informational videos and clips because there is a lot of information and studies conducted on these children. It will be helpful to find what some researchers have observed and published on their behaviors as well. I am not ready to start writing the first draft yet, however I will be brainstorming and allowing myself to think in many directions for these children. I will bring all my thoughts together from what I find researching and observing personally.

After reading Hanfler’s thoughts on social construction, I found many new interesting insights with society and myself. Much of what he way stated relates to me directly. I was very surprised and fascinated with what his text. I believe that social construction is everything that people create to be ‘normal’ or ‘socially acceptable’. The ‘social construction’ here at UNL is primarily modeled by the students; however, each person (the students, teachers and employees) has come together to create a culture for what is considered the ‘every day’ life. This is everything from language to appearance.

The part from this article that stood out to me the most was when Hanfler discussed how tattoos were viewed in society. I found this part personal because this summer I tattooed my foot. It was interesting because in his article, Hanfler mentioned that if you have stronger ties to organization and students clubs, you will be less likely to get a tattoo- If you have a certain career path or are religious, you are less likely to get a tattoo. All throughout high school I was involved in numerous clubs and student organizations while occasionally attending church. Even with all these factors, I still made the decision to tattoo my skin. However, the fact that my tattoo is placed on my body in a location that can be easily hidden still follows with what he later mentions. “Or you may get a tattoo but place it in an inconspicuous place… If you lack stable communities or have few job prospects, you may have fewer ties to mainstream life and thus be more inclined to become tattooed”. I had a very stable community and job prospects with my decision to get a tattoo. I think that society has changed what is considered ‘art’ and socially acceptable with expression. Even though it may not be very public of what is allowed and what is not, I think society is changing and conforming to what is personal art. This has not kept me from receiving any job because my employers will not see it, however, it has raised many questions from people on the street and those who do see it from my shoes.

This does change how people see me through social construction. They may see me as a rebellious teenager, someone who made a bad life choice, or someone who can express myself through body art. Each person’s interpretation will vary but overall, society cannot have one outlook on tattoos. I am glad with the choice I’ve made because it does give me different reputations and it’s a conversation starter.

 Lobrber’s text mentions, “In social interaction throughout their lives, individuals learn what is ex­pected, see what is expected, act and react in expected ways, and thus simultaneous­ly construct and maintain the gender order.” Although this is talking about gender identity, the difference between male and female, it also relates to people with and without tattoos.  In the past, society has disregarded tattoos, it is not the norm and not professionally acceptable. The people who have them are normally looked upon as dangerous or criminals. This has been traditionally reinforced- the difference between people with and without tattoos. Similar to the difference passed down between men and women. With society continually changing, social construction begins to see tattoos as more acceptable and women occasionally taking on male roles and vise versa.

In the text by Young it is said that, “This mean we should, for instance, teach how language functions within and from various cultural perspectives”. Although in this article, it is talking about language, this also relates directly back to the tattoo example as well. Tattoos may also be shared different among people within various cultures and various perspectives. This comes to show that social construction is always changing, reshaping, redefining everyday life, culture and perspectives.

Introduction

“Rather than leaving a paper note for them (his roommates) in the kitchen, Ronnie visits their private group page on Facebook”(9). This was an interesting point that stood out to me because Anna had already mentioned that she did not like to use social media such as Facebook for constant interaction but had to because it was for all the things that she is involved with around campus. It could be an interesting way to make a pint that because of the changes in media and society that might not always be the easiest option anymore. I could begin my paper with this thought as well.
“August 2011, 83% of 18–29 year-olds used a social network site” (10). This really isn’t a quote but I find this very interesting. The data is a little out dated by four years and I can only imagine how that’s grown in statistics, probably even by younger and older audiences as well! This may be helpful somewhere in the paper if I ever need to make a reference to the number of friends she has or how easily she is able to message any of her classmates about a group project or school event.

Methods

He reported that he often joined new sites to “claim real estate,” i.e., reserve his username on the site in case it became popular later”(14). I thought this was such an odd thing to do! I have never heard of anyone doing this so I thought I would share it. I don’t think Anna would do this considering her limited use of social media now let alone for a site she doesn’t even know! This was just something very different. Why would you have to ‘claim a name’ if you don’t use it now?
“Ronnie saw himself as different from the average user, and he worked to present himself as such through his social network site use” (14). I think this is interesting as well because I do believe Anna has worked to present herself through her social media without noticing it. She keeps her profile professional and still personal. She keeps it positive and open to all the communities she is apart of. This shows that she has built this over a few years and she plans to continue using it in healthy ways.

Results

“Ronnie sought to provide a contrast to his own status updates both in content and in voice”(27). This was interesting from the Buck article because I never thought to consider her use of smiley faces or explanation marks. This could make a huge difference in how a post is received and how people interpret her messages. This could really change the atmosphere in an online community. 
“…identity is also created through sustained interaction with individuals across multiple platforms”(30). This is a thought that is more of a statement that can support Anna’s case of multiple communities on Facebook and the role she plays in each of them. She is a sorority siter, a friend, a committee member, and a leader. There is multiple platforms in which she is identified with, not one area can fit her description.

Discussion

“So many people just kind of go with what’s on Facebook and trust it. There’s really no basis other than assuming people are honest” (31). This was a quote from Ronnie but Anna and I were briefly able to touch on the subject. I hope that in my interview with her, I will be able to ask some questions that will let me figure out how much she believes is true on Facebook and that she follows. Some of her “friends” aren’t exactly friends at all and when she sees their posts, what does she think?
“Because Ronnie used social network sites to organize different aspects of his life, he was particularly attuned to the different ways in which his information was dispersed and used, and this was a process that he wanted to have control over” (31). I see this same cautious behavior in Anna. The older she gets she becomes more self aware of what she posts, who can see what and who has access to her information. I think this is a very important quality to have in this day and age. This could be a topic we could expand on when interviewing one another.

Conclusion

“Viewing social network sites as part of larger systems of literate activity can be a productive way to trace their influence on individuals’ literate lives” (35). This doesn’t have any impact directly on my observations of Anna but this is a very interesting thought to leave with!

“Viewing this rich literate activity as part of students’ everyday lives will give us a greater understanding of the literacy experiences they bring with them to the classroom” (35). This another great point. Using social media will allow students to come to class with new ideas and new perspectives to share with one another. This will also help them develop new forms of communication and to learn to still be professional through screens.

After reading the Buck article, I began to realize and form some questions of my own to ask Anna, my partner, for the social media community assignment. The first thing that really stood out to me in the article was the idea of consciously keeping track of the number of friends or followers you have. This was a section that quoted Ronnie about his “number index” that he is so closely aware of (14). I would be curious to ask Anna if she ever paid any attention to the number of friends she has connected with her Facebook and what she thinks about that number. From a personal stand point, I have a few hundred friends, people whom I’ve met and added over the years, but I would like to lower the number and reduce the amount of pictures and posts I scroll over on my news feed. I do not want to see every post of a girl who was in my math class sophomore year of high school. When people un-friend me on Facebook, I do not take it personally. I don’t mind the number of friends I have to ‘look popular’ but to some others that may be very personal. It would be interesting to get Anna’s opinion on the matter and see why exactly she feels that way.

A great question I stole from the class brainstorming activity was the question: Do you have any social media habits? If so what are they and if you don’t believe you do, what do you consider social media habits among others? This question must have stem from the section in Buck’s article where it describes how social media influences the routine our daily lives. “He checked Twitter constantly from the website, seeing it as a habit, part of his daily routine, and something he did when he was bored” (22). I think this is very interesting because when I briefly looked over Anna’s Facebook page, I observed that she rarely posts and in that same way I am similar. I will get on social media sites to see what is going on with other people but I do not share information about myself as often and when I do, it is brief. I would consider this a ‘social media habit’ but I’m not sure that others would. I am curious to hear what Anna answers and compare her page to my own.

For the three articles this week, I was able to inquire more in depth of how our identity is heavily constructed from our social media profiles. What we ‘like’, post, record and follow all relates into other’s perception of our daily life and experiences. Broad generalizations and assumptions are easily formed of what is posted at this location, and this time on this date. The authors and people mentioned in these articles are using their work to create a community through text, or written articles published online. This community gives people the ability to reach out to numerous people all throughout the world and relate to them in ways they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. “It was also important for me to direct the poem about race and culture in a way that asked the participants to dig deep. It is so easy for us to approach difficult conversations in easy, familiar ways.”

         Harris believes that to be in a ‘discourse community’ people must share and communicate through the same language. This could be any instance when a group of people can relate to one another when not necessarily just another passing person could immediately understand. As a personal example, within my community of friends, we have ‘inside jokes’ and nicknames that we rattle off at different times to one another that no one but us would understand. This creates my own personal discourse community within my friends. It is our own language that we communicate and share between one another.

         Online I am apart of a few different communities. I have more social account for fun such as my Instagram and twitter where I can easily share and converse with my friends. These are leisure sites where I can surf the content in my free time. The people on these sites who I follow and who follow me back are their own communities. Apart from my personal accounts, I have more serious ones as well. I have a online profile for a national site regarding my sorority. Through this site I am able to stay up to date with monthly dues, news, and events. This is a separate community that I am apart of with my ‘sorority sisters’. The language I speak and share on this profile is different than what you would find in my most recent tweet. I am apart of this writer’s blog community as well. What I choose to share with my classmates is a different language than I would share with anyone else. This is another community and to be apart of it, the other students can relate and tune into what I am sharing.

         One interesting thing I gained from the articles was from the ‘Fakebooking: Why I didn’t Post this Picture’. I found myself questioning the honesty of online updates. If Erin Ruddy had posted the picture of her children with the snowman, all the most difficult part of the afternoon (the meltdowns, screaming and fighting) all would have never been highlighted. The cute picture snapped in that one second masked all the other obstacles she had to tackle as a mother. She then realized that by posting that picture, all other mothers would have just looked at her with the envy of how easy that must’ve been for her when it was in fact the opposite. “And it would have felt wrong for people to see this photo pop up in their newsfeeds and think, aw how sweet and fun... I would have felt like a fraud since at the time the photo was snapped my blood pressure was through the roof and I had legitimately growled at the kids a few times”. This comes to show that not everything we see online is true and is as glamorous as it’s pictured to be.