(What) does your cybersquad contribute to your worldview? Wikipedia’s definition of Worldview is “a wide world perception. Additionally, it refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and interacts in it.”
When we use social media we are not simply creating dynamic virtual communities of interest and learning. I believe we are also creating frameworks of interaction with the world that in turn impact our ideas and beliefs. When we add a friend on a social network, choose a new blog to follow in our feeds, select somebody to follow on Twitter, read our Facebook newsfeeds, we are choosing to influence our worldview with our cybersquads (;p) to some degree.
Social networking affords a great opportunity for knowledge sharing and community building; you can also broaden your horizons, extend your social networks and spheres of influence. It also means there are people speaking into one another’s lives, whether they realise it or not. As you often read, the people you surround yourself with will implicitly influence and challenge your thoughts and beliefs, no matter how strong your own ideas might be.
Perhaps some might say social networking using new media is too superficial to be quite so pervasive to shape our attitudes, our potential or even our belief systems. The people we interact with in our turbo-charged webby social networks have all kinds of diverse lifestyles, thoughts, unique points of view. Do we ever stop to think that we might influence others with behavioral tweets or blogs with attitude?
I’m a big believer that words can have a tremendous impact. So I’ve decided I might be a little bit picky when I choose to follow somebody. I enjoy the conversation but think I need to rein it in a little.
So beyond social media for knowledge networking, who inspires you? Which blog or podcast challenges you to think and innovate? (What) does your cybersquad contribute to your worldview? Do they draw out your passions, ideas and talents? Or is it a mass of voices in the information vortex drowning out the ability to hear your own?
I’ve noticed that my cybersquad tends to be quite similar across networks, and I guess that is understandable. Probably 60% people I work with locally or remotely or indirectly, 30% related interests and industry people, and 10% of random individuals (I mean no offense to the people in question) I’ve come across online who apparently have no direct connection to my interests or profession, but who are interesting anyway.
Do they draw out my ideas and passions? Well they manage to keep me blogging and twittering
I notice you have “peeps I like” and “some IBM peeps” groupings. Are the two categories mutually exclusive?
Exactly Andy – I think a lot of people naturally look for people with common interests. But sometimes people in completely different professions can inspire us even more.
About the peeps. Noted. Sorted. Happy?
So are you implying that the peeps you like are not also outrageously talented? Hmm…
you’re typing..but all I seem to hear is this
err…yes, quality worldview, influencing behaviour, positive attitudes, the power of words…ummm, now what was I saying?
Yep our cybersquads do influence our thinking, and other than volume not a lot different from real life influences.
In answer to your questions. Who inspires me? That depends on my mood, and what they write. Some days the smallest of words stung together can have the most profound impact. Other days it is all just dribble, basically reality TV in binary.
Hello Wonderwebby. I agree with you regarding the power of the written word. Most of my blog reading is connected with learning. The blogs that influence me the most are Brain Based Business http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com and All Thinbgs Workplace http://www.allthinbgsworkplace.com. The authors host great conversations and promote positive dialogue.
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