In his video, “Visitors and Residents,” Dr. Dave White explains his theory that many people do not develop an online presence, partly due to security reasons, but mainly because they don’t see any value in it. He compartmentalizes online users into two groups. The first group is “Visitors,” who temporarily stay online, and use the web more as a tool. The other group is “Residents,” who have a more permanent existence online, making them known, and viewing the web as a shared space. White attempts to dispel a lot of misconceptions people have about creating an online identity and also states that, as an online user, you don’t have to be on one polar side of the spectrum, but can fall somewhere in between.
The first rumor is that “communal doesn’t necessarily mean collaborative.” He’s saying that you can be a member of a group online, but still have limited to no interaction or participation. This includes commenting, or posting on different social media sites.
White also states that there is no correlation with how well you can build a network of followers, to how well you can research or evaluate a topic.
I appreciated this video because it gave me great perspective on how to view creating and maintaining an online presence. It broke my narrow-minded view that “Resident” type users are strictly egomaniacs. It also made me realize that you don’t have to pick just one side of the spectrum, because if you discover a platform online and you can benefit from its utility then you unabashedly should.
At one point in time I saw myself being as far over to the side of Visitor as one could get, but recently, and especially after watching this video I am moving towards the middle. I do see the value in creating a strong online presence, but I also know now what responsibilities come with that. I recognize myself as a visitor in the sense that I didn’t see a value in building a network online, when I had a preexisting network offline. White help clarified this for me by saying it can be a way to extend those current relationships.
White, D. (2013, May, 31). Visitors and Residents. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFBadv04eY