How diverse is your existing PLN?

Currently, my PLN consists of my inner friend group of my three friends (mainly because of COVID). Among my friend group, I associate with my childhood friends. I have been close friends with these individuals for numerous years now and have lots of history with them as we have all at one point or another played hockey together. Because I have only been associating with this friend group for the last few years, over the past while I have noticed the lack of diversity within my PLN. We have always associated with each other, so we all seem to have relatively the same thought process and are all into the same kind of things. For example, last summer my friends all began getting into dirt biking, so I brought up the idea to my parents. Even though I asked for my parent’s approval on purchasing a dirt bike, they wouldn’t let me get it because it was “too dangerous”. Despite my parent’s advice on not purchasing a dirt bike, I ended up getting one anyway because the members of my PLN were all enjoying dirt biking. I do not regret purchasing that dirt bike still to this day, but it really makes me realize how my friend group is somewhat of an echo chamber. The reason I say that is because all of my close friends are like-minded. When receiving feedback from any of them, I find I always get the same kind of response from them and don’t get a diverse opinion on certain topics.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

Although I believe that the opinion of my friends shapes me more as an individual than my family, I do value the opinion of my family members and other close friends. At times I can be the loudest in the room in a sense that I dictate what my peers and I will be doing a lot of the time, but at times I have to sit back and hear what my friends have to say. The members of my friend group all share the same interests, so there isn’t a large variety of opinions that I receive on certain topics. With that being said, I do seek the help of my family members and other close friends so I can get opinions that are often not in line with mine. For instance, I really like to hear what my brother’s girlfriend has to say on certain topics because she has a very neutral outlook on some topics and can often point me in a better direction. Often, hearing a different perspective is extremely valuable because it can help me better understand a situation.

Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or a wide range of interests)?

In my PLN, I do not participate in a silo of information sharing. Within my PLN, sharing our opinions is gratefully appreciated and we all value hearing what we have to say about other people and various topics. Personally, I find that when participating in an information silo, it is hard to get a firm understanding of who your peers are and what their interests are. That is why I make sure to share my general interests with my friends so they can get a better understanding of who I am. Without sharing more meaningful information with my friend group, I believe that we would not be as close of a friend group and not have the internal connections that we have as a group.

How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

Having a diverse PLN gives an individual a very broad perspective on any topic that comes up. This is why it is important to not be stuck in an echo chamber with such similar views. Without receiving other perspectives, the decisions made by an individual will be in line with the decisions of the members of their PLN. When hearing a different perspective on topics like inclusion, it is really noticeable how everyone will have a vastly different opinion on what is considered normal. This is why I like associating with both girls and boys as we all seem to have various opinions based on our gender. Often, the best advice I have received was not from the male peers in my friend group, but from miscellaneous girls who I have talked to who have a completely different opinion than mine.

In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?

At my current job at Dairy Queen, I work with people from all around the world. There are workers from China, India, Mexico, Brazil, etc that I have the honor of working with regularly. Getting to know these people I will admit is a fascinating experience as they all have such a variety of previous work experience. From working on cruise ships to working in hotels or restaurants, these foreign workers tell me experiences they have had that fascinate me as they are unlike anything I have ever experienced. While working with these people, I have learned the importance of inclusion not only in a professional setting but in our everyday life is extremely important. People should find the need to embrace where they are from and their diversity as it makes them different than anyone else in our society. This is why at Dairy Queen, we make sure that everyone is included no matter who they are and where they came from as they have a valuable opinion.

What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

The learning outcome from my PLN is that I need to make sure that I am not getting caught too much in an echo chamber. As the members of my PLN have all such similar opinions on topics, I find at times that my opinion is being reassured by my 3 other friends without hearing another opinion. That is why moving forward I will make sure to not make such impulsive decisions without hearing another opinion from someone outside my PLN. Having a diverse opinion on topics like inclusion is important to me as I like hearing what other people have to say on the topic at hand. This is why at times I really enjoy hearing the opinion of the employees at my work. Listening to what they have to say about a topic really broadens my perspective of what people think on a specific topic.

How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?

After doing this week’s readings, I now have a more thorough understanding of how inclusion and diversity are directly related to my PLN. I have really learned the importance of having a diverse PLN as getting stuck in an echo chamber is very negative in a way that I am not getting a diverse opinion on topics like inclusion and diversity. Now after learning this information from the readings, I will make sure to always be effectively considering the opinions of people outside my PLN to get a diverse view.

References:

Moore, S. (2017). One without the other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca