Social Media in a Professional Setting, Taboo?

This blog is inspired by a discussion topic posted by our professor which asked, What differences do you see between designing for social media use in classroom uses/spaces vs professional uses/spaces vs personal uses/spaces? What similarities carry across contexts. Even though I didn't participate in the conversation, I wanted to share my experience of suggesting that our IDs become part of a community that could aid in resource sharing and professional development.

During my time as a classroom teacher, I always believed in collaborating with my colleagues. We shared resources and had discussions on how to cater to our students' learning needs. These conversations led to collaborative efforts with other educators and involvement from our leadership team. Our main objective was to ensure that our students received the best possible learning experience, which would enable them to apply the knowledge gained. However, after transitioning to the world of instructional design, I noticed a lack of collaboration. It seemed as though individuals were hesitant to reach out and share resources, even if they were working on similar projects.

I once asked my manager if my colleagues and I could join an instructional design community on Facebook. However, my request was met with disapproval as my manager believed that true professionals don't waste time on social media and should instead focus on creating content to improve work issues. This response caused a shift in my mindset and work habits. Whenever I was tasked with a project, I would create resources from scratch if I couldn't find them within the organization. This approach was time-consuming, but I believed it was necessary to build in extra time into the project plan. Unfortunately, this mentality caused burnout and affected my work-life balance, leading to mental struggles. As a result, I eventually left that job.

Many older individuals believe that social media should only be used personally and not for professional purposes. However, this is not entirely accurate. Through the community I have built in this class over the past 9 weeks, I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience. I wish more people were open to this kind of opportunity. In my Intro to Instruction Systems class, I learned that conducting research within and outside of the organization for materials prior to creating anything from scratch is considered best practice.