Dr. David White explains the Visitor/Resident theory which deals with the way individuals interact with the online community. Dr. White is quick to point out how this theory differs from the Natives/Immigrants theory, which said that those who grew up with online technology interacted differently and more naturally with the online community than those who hadn't been exposed to it. He goes on to say that this oversimplification of the issue makes it seem like older people just don't understand the digital world. The Vistitor/Resident theory, on the other hand, sees internet persona on a spectrum in which visitors do not have a well established identity online and residents are highly visible and have a contant online presence. One of the important aspects of this theory is that your status can change over time. For example, if someone is blogging regularly and consistently using various social media sites, they would be considered a resident. If that person then stopped blogging and stopped updating their social media networks, their resident status would begin to erode and they we begin being viewed more as a visitor. Dr. White illustrates this point by citing a virtual world called "Second Life" in which a tutor introduced students to the world and then left. After the students had logged a certain number of hours, the tutor came back and attempted to take control; however, the tutor's re-emergence created friction since the students saw the instructor as a resident in their virtual reality world and had trouble acknowledging his/her authority.
This theory makes complete sense to me. Dr. White is arguing that digital competency and web presence is not dependent on academic or technical skill but on culture and motivation. If one wishes to create a greater online persona, one must simply work at it and spend time and effort cultivating that persona. Also, this theory proposes that your digital presence is not binary but actually a continuum. Your status can change gradually over time and you can fall somewhere in between a resident and a visitor. As of now, I would say I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. I have a Facebook, an Instagram, a Twitter account and a website but I don't post on a regular basis on any of my accounts. My presence has increased lately and I expect it to increase as I continue to use social media to network and as a teaching resource. I expect it won't take long before I consider myself a resident. White, D. (2013, May 31). Visitors and Residents. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFBadv04eY
3 Comments
Jacob Cornell
9/13/2015 02:39:03 pm
Hello Mr. Snavely. You summarized Dr. White's idea quite well. It is good that you plan to move in the "resident" direction for your online presence. I'm sure your students will appreciate the ability to connect with you online and to see the information you've produced.
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Kendal Craig
9/16/2015 07:25:13 am
Mr. Snavely,
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9/23/2015 05:59:49 am
Good summary. I am much like you in that I have a facebook account, twitter account, but do not regularly sign on. It looks like we are going to have to get used to these things if we are going to do well in this program.
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AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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