Mikael Michalik's Learning Journey

       Media are the means through which people communicate. Some media can be small in scale, such as letters and emails, which other media are mass media, such as television or blogs. Media allow messages to be sent and enable information to be spread. Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages, its own uses and drawbacks. Social media, then, is the use of online media to communicate on both a large and small scale with people from all over the world. Social networking is an act facilitated through media, especially newer mass and social medias, but does not require it. Social networking is the act of connecting with people and gaining contacts through experience and communication. This can be done in person through internships or online through social media.      Currently I use very few social media sites. These include Twitter, DeviantArt, Twitch, Discord, GroupMe, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Instagram. Many of these sites are used for enterta...

     The readings from  We Are Data Algorithms and the Making of our Digital Selves  by John Cheney-Lippold (2019) posed very interesting and thought-provoking ideas and questions. As someone who has struggled with identity and has finally settled into an identity that I find comfortable and that portrays me in a way I like to be portrayed, the idea that this identity does not matter to algorithms and that algorithms could misgender, misidentify, and mislabel me is rather uncomfortable (p. 8). I often do not try to give much thought to stereotypically masculine or feminine things, instead enjoying what I enjoy, as I find that the internet and real life allows me to present myself as whatever I'd like despite my varied activities and hobbies. I immediately became curious as to what my personalized advertising profile was like, checking the link provided by Cheney-Lippold (2019), but Google did not show the gender it supposed me to be (p. 6). Knowing that Google a...

 My social media do's and don'ts have changed a bit since I first joined social media as I have allowed myself to loosen them a bit. Many of my dos and don'ts revolve around the sharing of personal information, as ever since my elementary school technology classes cyber safety has been drilled into me. Even today, I refuse to use my real name in online spaces except in professional areas such as LinkedIn. With the internet, it is incredibly easy for someone to find out about you with just a name, and as such in social spaces, where I do not trust some users, I don't feel comfortable providing that information. Linked to this is my location, another thing I will not give out. I also rarely post photos of myself and, if I do, I am either wearing a mask or digitally cover my face. I was much stricter about this when I first joined social media, when I wouldn't even say I was in Florida or post an image of myself. I also acted like a stereotypical cringy kid, posting ed...

 Hello, I'm Mikael Michalik and I've been living in Sarasota since I was four years old, though I spend most of my time in Tampa for classes. I'm an English major in the technical and professional concentration with a minor in Mass Communications. Some interesting facts about me: I enjoy walking, almost too much. I try to walk around 4-6 miles a day and enjoy hiking in the mountains of Pisgah National Forest and DuPonte Forest.  I enjoy creating characters, drawing them and coming up with personalities for them. I have way too many and often end up drawing the same few over and over.  My characters often tie in with another hobby of mine: Dungeons and Dragons. I have a backlog of filled out character sheets to go with designs I've made and I anticipate working through them all over time.  I love animals, especially dogs and birds. When I moved to Florida, I was immediately obsessed with the funky birds I saw around the small lake my backyard borders so I get very exc...