Community Contribution #4

The way technology is designed influences the way users navigate the platform. Features such as notifications and recommendations alter the information we interact with and pay attention to. For instance, when I am scrolling on LinkedIn, I am constantly flooded with suggestions of people to connect with or posts to engage with. It is typically related to my interests and career goals, so it can be helpful when trying to grow my PLN because it helps me discover people I may not have discovered on my own. On the other hand, the design choices can influence our PLN without us noticing, like when similar content is recommended to me when I interact with something more than once. If you are not aware, your PLN can become smaller because it can continue to recommend you the same type of content. I experienced this when I first downloaded LinkedIn, and I originally downloaded it in hopes of landing a marketing co-op, so I only connected with people in that field. Now that I have started to pivot to wanting to explore not just that specific field, I have noticed my PLN to be more limited compared to if I connected with a wider range of people. This year I have tried to start expanding my network, but it has taken time for the algorithms to not just suggest people solely in the marketing field. The platform is not just showing us what is available; it is deciding what becomes visible to us. Overall, being aware that these platforms use specific algorithms allows us to reflect on the content being pushed to us. When we reflect critically, it can help benefit us, as we can get the positives of the platform while knowing we can actively put effort into guaranteeing we are getting the best experience for ourselves.