Having sojourned in my last post, in the Easter-break inspired summer-frocks and sun-hats frippery of opining about pottering online, am now re-donning the hard-hat of theory and evidence to address the big questions on all matters social media. In this case, addressing my long-standing bug-bear of technological determinism and social media. To be clear, I think social media is A-mazing in terms of what it offers us and for many, the positive difference it's made to our lives and communities.But (yes, there has to be one) there are many who wax lyrical about the almost utopian effect of social media on society. Virtually positioning it as an unquestioned and potent agent of change, empowerment, flowering of democracy, overthrowing of tyranny and capable of creating a perfect place where the sun always shines and chocolate is non-fattening. T'aint always, necessarily so. Therein gentle reader, lie the structural issues of education, infrastructure, economic development, power and plain ole fashioned adapting to the new offerings. That then, is the the subject of this post's rant, er, reflections.
