Framed by Facebook

Many of the popular technologies include social media. Scrolling through the time line of Facebook friends and family members, one might recognize unique patterns that would not occur in face-to-face communication. For instance, haven't we all giggled at Facebook users who seem compelled to announce everywhere they visit with the check-in feature? Sure others are interested if you are visiting a notable location, but the grocery store or mall? In social media, the boundaries of sharing are easily blurred.

And how do people make choices about which photos to post for their global network? For some, it appears a viable choice is to post all your photos. In this way, some users may be using social media as a diary or journal, cataloging every and all activities?

However, there is a fundamental flaw with that approach: the medium broadcasts and archives user's postings. In addition, unless settings are modified, someone connected to a user, can repost (share) your photo or post it to a group of people you do not even know, or maybe you do but had not intended on them seeing that information!

Social media is broadcast communication; however, there are still people in our society who seem to remain consistently unaware of the global dimension of their postings. Evidence of this phenomena is easily found in news articles announcing employees from all walks of life being fired from work because of what they posted on social media (Broderick & Grinberg, 2013).

In terms of the psychology of technology, these individuals may be aware of the immediate audience of their posts, but they ignore, deny, or refuse to care about the extended audience. Their actions may also be indicative of their beliefs that they are invincible, and although other people (such as those in the news headlines) might be caught for such acts of defiance against employers, they will not be caught. Another dynamic that occurs is that individuals can develop competitive posting behaviors with other social media users. In order to have more information to share, such users cross the lines from the mundane to inappropriate. These circumstances offer risks and prime opportunities to cultivate reflective thinking, critical thinking, and new frameworks for recognizing and developing culturally and professionally appropriate communication.

In conclusion, here are a few questions to think about:

• Based on this reading, what do you need to consider regarding your social media use?
• How can you introduce these issues to other adult learners?

Tethered by Text Messages

Expectations of relationships with other people can also shift with an overabundance and reliance on constant communication. Turkle (2006) specifically mentions at least two examples and consequences of overdependence on text messaging. In the first case, in order for parents to know where their teenager is at any given time, many teens have cell phones in the digital age. Cell phones then provide increased mobility for the teens, but they have a substantial hidden cost. With mom, dad, or someone else just speed dial away, are these teens ever able to engage in identify, development, and differentiation? With the security of a wireless cell phone tether, when will they develop the independence and self-reliance needed in Western society?

The second case is related as an example of dependence on text messaging. Turkle (2006) mentions that some users (texters) become overly dependent on the cycle of texting others in order to validate their feelings. Familiar to many as a phenomenon among teens, this pitfall is not restricted to any one age group.

In these situations, texters become so accustomed to sending messages whenever they have feelings or new thoughts that they develop a dependent cycle of “feeling > text” or “thought > text.” Such patterns could be a form of electronic journaling except it is not private; there is an audience. Coupled with the behavior is the implied social code of text etiquette that when one receives a text, out of need, interest, or courtesy, one replies. Therefore, the compulsive texting receives positive reinforcement and attention from the recipient.

Not only does this pattern breed dependence on an audience to validate thoughts and emotions but also it reinforces the need for instant gratification with personal responses. The vital connection to instructional and workplace settings may be apparent already, because there are several. These situations provide real-life opportunities to guide adult learners in areas such as (1) reflecting on and developing new understandings of appropriate cultural and professional use of text messaging, (2) exploring potential culturally appropriate and effective ways to respond to people who have unrealistic text messaging expectations, and (3) setting realistic boundaries of responding to and expecting responses from other people.

This last area includes setting parameters for windows of response time learners should expect from instructors and supervisors. Given the dynamics of text messaging, in the digital age many adults expect instantaneous responses to questions. Stating that one will respond within 24 to 48 hours sets a professional expectation for other adults to adjust to and as an example.

Interactions

Examples of how multiple factors interact and complicate technology adoption abound in our society. When adult learners have difficulty learning to use new technology devices or applications, it might not be a matter of malfunction but rather multiple functions.

Consider the vast difference in functions and form between a flip phone and smartphone. When individuals who have hesitancies about technology changes must begin using a smartphone, the road to competency will be more difficult than usual.

Providing hands-on modeling, introducing features gradually, and using guided practice are effective strategies for adults learning new devices. On-demand video tutorials are a tremendous assistance to building skills and continuing independent learning.

Short Message Service (SMS) access to help files is a valuable resource that integrally supports learning. When such help files are available a simple code usually delivers a menu to the user's cell phone. The technical support telephone line is another valuable support.

Another example of informal learning and technology adoption may be seen in most large home improvement and discount stores today. Self-checkout tellers provide a confounding experience for many adults. The stores have wisely stationed retail staff members near the stations in order to watch the progress of the patrons as the use the devices. Overall, these self-checkout systems also are a mastery of graphic interface design. They have been developed with much field testing in order to reach the level of clarity and sophistication they have today.

Culture

In order to describe a culture, one should include many intangible characteristics of social behavior that are explicitly or implicitly agreed on by a group of people (Marsick & Watkins, 2003). From religious to national, ethnic, social groups, neighborhoods, families, geographic, online communities, and more, cultures and subcultures can be large or small in scope and impact.

News accounts, in addition to formal study of sociology, display the fact that cultures differ in their openness to change and innovation. Although some traditional cultures, such as China's, have adopted many mobile and innovative technologies relatively rapidly, other aspects of their culture remain resistant to change because of long-standing values, traditions, and beliefs (King, 2014; Starr, 2010).

In comparison, the Amish have specific beliefs and values that contradict innovation adoption. Their belief system generally opposes the use of modern conveniences and technology (Kraybill, 2001). Therefore, strict observance of these beliefs would be nonnegotiable factors regarding innovation adoption for them.

Perhaps, the most important points about culture and innovation adoption are that culture can be invisible and yet cannot be ignored. Working with learners to develop cultural awareness provides a strong foundation for implementing change and innovation personally, professionally, individually, and organizationally.

Motivation

There are copious numbers of publications about faculty development research in the area of instructional technology, and many of these publications demonstrate that motivation is one of the pivotal points in determining whether faculty members will learn to use new technology and digital resources. As mentioned in previous chapters, unlike mandatory (P–12) education, faculty development is neither available at all US postsecondary institutions nor are faculty members required to attend sessions. By the most recent estimate in 2010, among all 2- and 4-year US institutions, about 30% to 40% have active faculty development programs (Fink, 2014). Furthermore, revealing another critical issue, it is an unusual US campus in which more than 35% of full-time faculty members attend professional development events (Fink, 2013). Instead, “at most campuses, with a few important exceptions, about 20–35% of all faculty members participate each year at a substantive level, i.e., at a level that could lead to changes in the way they practice their teaching” (Fink, 2013, p. 2).

Based on many US studies, there is a trend for this rate of participation to be higher, if only pre-tenured faculty are counted. This phenomena occurs because there are usually messages, stated or unstated, that in order to earn tenure, pre-tenured faculty members should actively demonstrate their commitment to teaching and the institution. Therefore, pre-tenured faculty members are highly and extrinsically motivated to attend the professional development sessions (Lowenthal, Wray, Bates, Switzer, & Stevens, 2012). However, when exclusively counting tenured faculty members participating in professional development the numbers shrink substantially. At this time, the reason is that there is insufficient intrinsic and no extrinsic motivation to participate (Fink, 2013; Lowenthal et al., 2012).

Given this information, educators and faculty developers recognize the need to develop and communicate meaningful incentives for faculty members. Such incentives for participation may be attained through departmental or college funds, grants, internal foundation money, or external funding such as grants or gifts to the institution. The incentives might include, but not be limited to, instructional materials funds, travel money, extra assistance in designing or redesigning online courses, and hands-on training or working sessions (Fink, 2013). Research also demonstrates that varying forms and schedules of faculty development greatly affect participation rates (Lowenthal et al., 2012).

International trends demonstrate additional interesting possibilities. Professional development is required among new college faculty members across the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands). In addition, Japan is building national capacity through legislation for this issue: in 2008 the government mandated all postsecondary institutions to develop faculty development programs (Fink, 2013). Such approaches might not always be successfully applied cross-culturally.