Month: January 2024

Before reading this week’s readings, I thought that digital identity only functions as the representation of who we are on the Internet through those social media platforms. Just like the way we built personal learning networks, we create our digital identity though sharing our ideas, exchanging ideas with like-minded people and therefore widening our networks. I didn’t realize that digital identity covers such a wide range of aspects in our life, which could even promote economic development. While you can create and manage your digital identity by yourself through social media apps, your digital identity involved in other services like financial services, health care services and government services cannot be managed by yourself. This reminds me of a practical and popular app in China, which is called “Alipay”. This app provides various services, and we can literally do everything by using this app. For example, we can buy goods, make payments, and use it for public transportation. However, before using this app, people have to create the account by linking the app to their identification card, which is an example of digital identity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this apps provided a service called “health code”, which showed whether you test positive for corona virus. You must show this health code to access public areas at that time.

Although the use of digital identity benefits the access to many different service, it is important to make it inclusive, which is also a suggestion mentioned in the video of World Economic Forum. Just like the service of “health code”, it only benefits people who know how to use smartphones and create their digital identity, and becomes a big problem for the elderly and people who do not have smartphones. In addition to the issue of inclusion, the security of digital identity is also worthy concerning. Authentication plays a vital role in the development of digital identity, which prevents the disclosure of important personal information. For instance, the app that we are using for UVic account is “Duo Mobile”, a multi-factor authentication, which makes sure the account security. In summary, while it is important to develop the digital identity, it is equally important to ensure that it is inclusive as well as secure, which facilitates access and keeps personal privacy.

It was the first time that I heard of personal learning networks; however, after reading the readings, I realized that I’m involved in building my personal networks without knowing what it is. I have taken a few EDCI courses before. When I commented on my peers’ blogs and received comments from my peers or my professor, I was building this network. Networks are everywhere, and with the development and the dramatically increasing utilization of social media in these few years, people are building their networks through these platforms. I remember that in the last class of Co-op, we had to learn how to use and build our LinkedIn. The importance of building a network through social media is apparent. Compared to building the networks in real life, building the networks online gives people chances to contact more like-minded people, which could facilitate various aspects. Although they may come from different cultural backgrounds and have different careers, building personal learning networks using social media provides more opportunities for people both professionally and academically. Gaining more opportunities in careers and academics might be one of the reasons why people are motivated to participate in the networked public. Additionally, it enriches your perspectives on various subjects with contact with different people, which is hard to achieve in real life.

Just like personal learning networks, public communication offers more opportunities. Participating in public communications also allows useful information to be disseminated. As a student studying psychology, I gradually realized how important it is to disseminate important information, which helps researchers, practitioners and students have access to the latest research in the field. Additionally, public communication enhances the level of transparency. The public has the right to be informed about the latest updates, and with public scrutiny, the reliability of information is also increasing. Getting involved in public communications is beneficial; however, it also means that you will lose some personal privacy. In contemporary society, the disclosure of personal information is prevalent and needs attention. Another disadvantage is that the interpretation of information may affect the effectiveness of public communication. Each individual may interpret the information differently, which is likely to cause misunderstanding and the spread of misinformation.