Since the cost of joining the social media platform is extremely low, this leads to vast diversity in users’ background. No matter how rich you are, your post still can be reached by some homeless who sit in the corner. Users might come from all over the world with various races, cultures, skin colour or faith, these sensitive contents might lead to conflict if someone makes inappropriate comments. However, most of the time its benefits outweigh the disadvantages. How to use social media to create public opinions has become a specialized subject. Many government leaders use public relations teams to control and manipulate public opinion, in order to have better control of their supporters. Donald Trump is one of the examples who are good at manipulating social media. For his Twitter, it’s not hard to tell his posts are all directed, even some are misleading. However, these posts and comments actually helped him gain more supporters than others. That is the positive side of the governor using social media, but the risk is also high. Before they publish any posts,  they must consider the target group and others might against these opinions.  They must have comprehensive strategies to deal with unknown risks. Since social media spread information extremely fast, if they post inappropriate posts, everyone in the world will know and remember it. This will lead to serious consequences. In China, there are some famous figures had been brutally blocked because of inappropriate remarks. For notable individuals, social media is a double-edged sword, it can offer you more benefits by doing less if you use it wisely, but it also has the ability to destroy you and your career.

 

A positive and informative PLN can receive more attention from the public, which is very helpful for our careers. The better your PLN is, the more attraction you have. From audiences of your PLN, some strangers might be your future employer. If you PLN have attracted lots of users, their engagement is a good way to help you progress, they might provide feedback or suggestions, their perspective might inspire you. In order to build a PLN that can be consistently relied on, the key is making sure what you say can be trusted with evidence. Nobody wants to hear and spread rumours, unreliable information not only toxic your PLN but also the others thought. Building a PLN can’t be done in one day, so make sure to always upgrade and engage in others’ discussions. If you want to deliver content haven been verified, making notes to the contents and asking feedback from the public. Always check what you want to share whether are sensitive content, are biased, or are negative. Standing at others perspective look at the whole story one more time, this can help you distinguish misinformation.

 

Resource:

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T4jOdKd12I&feature=youtu.be

2. Hirst, M. (2019). Navigating Social Journalism. New York: Routledge, https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263