#specificothers

Dear future COMM309 student,

As I'm sure with your enrollment in this class, it would seem understandable to me that your interest in all things digital media and its involvement with our lives has already been well manifested in your heart. You will have had the opportunity to learn just a bit more about how your involvement and interaction with this digital society that you’re a part of plays a role in defining the persona that you build online, how said interactions might influence your day-to-day relationships with people that you know and love in real life, and how these relationships might best be managed on platforms in regard to how you use them to meet other people, both domestically and non-domestically. It is true, this digital space in which we are now a part of comes with a lot of attached ropes and it seems we’ve yet only scratched the surface with it all. Ain’t no use avoiding it though, and certainly ain’t no reason squandering the opportunity that comes with it. No, rather, I believe it paramount for you to consider the outstandingly great opportunities that come associated with this techno-socialization era of sorts, as I have been keen to have been able to recognize and had the opportunity of meeting some of the most inspirational people in my life, to date. 

This techno-socialization, or more readily known as having the capability of engaging with those of who you meet online and/or in face-to-face interaction, has such incredible power in helping to define who you become as a person in your tract of study, only simply through the interaction that you have with others online, and the identity that you craft because of the people that you choose to associate with. Because of it, I’ve had the honor of meeting some of the most inspirational and motivating people in my life that has blossomed something you might not find in your average 24-year-old, poverty-riddled student who dreams consciously. Because of this online interactivity that social media has provided for me, as with others that I’ve become associated with, I’ve been able to foster connections and mend relationships with some people that I might go as far as to consider friends of mine for the rest of my life. 

Perhaps we may consider this the end goal of all things online. To be able to curate an identity with those people that we meet, those people that we admire, and lend a hand for all people like you and me who wish to be heard, or wish to make it out of their situation, or wish to see better in the world — so that this world we live in may perhaps be just a little better for the future of all generations that come to be a part of this world. It’s incredible, really. A couple years ago I was just a 20-year-old student who had an idea for a career, but almost nothing that I might have been able to list on my resume for potential employers. With almost every job posting out there demanding of some sort of experience related to your field, it’s of paramount importance that you make those connections and acquire that experience one way or another. 

Had it not been for my willingness to become a part of this social media space and engage in communication with some of those specific others that I’d come to admire, I’m not entirely sure where I’d be at today. So I encourage you, whilst you learn about all these things that come with crafting your image, building friendships, taking into consideration the digital environment that you’re a part of, and everything else that you’ll come to learn about in this class — welcome it all with open arms, but most importantly, make note of it, for it might be everything that’ll help you succeed.

Warm regards,