Category: Peer Response Posts

For my third peer response post, I have focused on Rachel Powell’s Blog Post 1, which is in response to the first module of our course; Introduction to Social Media and Personalized Learning.

Rachel did a fantastic job connecting her insights to her personal experiences throughout her post. I especially resonated with her point about how social media helps maintain connections, particularly through her example of sending vlog-style videos to friends and family on Snapchat. This is something I do constantly with my long distance loved ones, and I find it to be a special way of staying in touch. There’s something incredibly meaningful about being about to capture a moment in real time and visually share the people and places shaping our lives, even from afar. I started relying more on vlogs as a way to stay connected more frequently after moving away for university last year. Having never even moved neighbourhoods growing up, relocating to another province was a big transition for me. At the same time, my friends were also scattering across Canada to different universities, so being able to send and receive video updates on each other’s lives has been an amazing way to stay close, no matter the distance.

I also appreciated how Rachel explored the negative aspects of social media, which stood out to me since most of the other blog posts I read primarily highlighted the positives. Her example of a past course assignment that revealed how easily misinformation spread, and how convincing it can be was particularly eye opening. I’ve caught myself believing things I’ve seen online before realizing they weren’t true, so her point about the importance of remaining cautious resonated with me.

Additionally, I like how Rachel touched on the permanence of online content. From a young age, I was taught that the delete button is never truly permanent, so I’ve always been mindful of what I post. Like Rachel, I keep my accounts private and ensure my online interactions remain positive, knowing that anything shared on the internet can last indefinitely. I really appreciate the detailed examples she provided on maintaining a responsible and professional online presence. Overall Rachel’s post was very insightful and engaging, great work!

For my second peer response post, I have focused on Eliana Katz’s Blog Post 1, which is in response to the first module of our course; Introduction to Social Media and Personalized Learning.

Eliana’s first blog post was very engaging, blending personal experiences with thoughtful insights. I especially liked how she shared a bit of her background, her travels, and her motivations for taking this course. Her reflection on how travel has made her more aware of normalized poverty resonated deeply with me. It made me reflect on my own experiences visiting my family in Croatia, a country that is very beautiful but their daily life is quite different from what I experience in Canada. Every visit I have there fills me with gratitude, much like Eliana’s realizations from her travels. I also loved her perspective on using social media as a tool for positive change.

Her inclusion of a TikTok was a great touch! I liked how she highlighted the value of social media in learning, networking, and making life easier. I’ve personally benefited from countless tips and tricks across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. Like Eliana, I’ve also found LinkedIn to be a valuable resource, I created a profile last semester and it has since become an essential part of my recent job applications. I found her point about social media’s accessibility insightful, the ability to connect people instantly across the globe is incredible. While Eliana acknowledged the downsides of social media, such as misinformation, I like how she emphasized that the benefits outweigh the negatives, which explains why social media is so deeply integrated into our lives today.

Personally, I think one of the greatest advantages of social media is its ability to keep us connected with loved ones, no matter the distance. As a university student living far from family and friends, I truly appreciate how even a small glimpse into their lives through social media helps me feel more connected to them. Awesome post Eliana, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

For my first peer response post, I have focused on Halle Trieu’s Blog Post 1, which is in response to the first module of our course; Introduction to Social Media and Personalized Learning.

Halle did an excellent job of weaving in her personal experiences growing up with social media and connecting them to her future career as a business student. I found her insights particularly relatable, as I am also a second year BCom student who enrolled in this course for similar reasons to hers, to deepen my understanding of social media’s role in business, not only for academic purposes but also for future opportunities.

I really appreciated Halle’s discussion on the distinction between using social media for personal use, through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, versus using it for educational purposes with resources like YouTube. Her realization of the educational value of these platforms as she grew older resonated with me, as I too, became more aware of the importance of digital literacy as I got older, specifically when I started university. One particular moment in university that made me truly appreciate the importance of digital literacy was the sudden, unspoken shift from everyone using Google Drive to Microsoft Office. It was then that I realized how essential it is to have the ability to adapt to new digital tools, and ever since I’ve been committed to continuously improving my digital literacy. Navigating various platforms and software has become essential, and I think Halle wrote about this well.

Additionally, I liked her point about the risks of misinformation, particularly on TikTok. I’ve experienced moments where I believed misleading content, so I fully agree that as we engage with a broader range of social media platforms, it’s crucial to develop the skills to use them critically and meaningfully. Overall great post Halle I really enjoyed reading it!