This blog post will look at the following reading on network literacy.

Miles, Adrian. Soft Cinematic Hypertext (Other Literacies). RMIT University, 2012. (Network Literacy: The New Path to Knowledge 201-208).

Before this week I’d never considered the other aspects of being “print literat” (201) other than the simple aspects of being able to read and write, which is just simply being literat.  In this reading Miles points out the many different skills and the deeper level of understanding required of someone to be actually print literat, whether it being able to mark a page, finding the publisher of a book, using the table of contents or being able to look for books in a library. He then uses this concept to explore the idea of “network litaracy” (201) and the ways in which it greatly differs from print literacy, as well as its importance to everyone on the network.

Network literacy, at the most basic level requires the knowledge and understanding that content is “distributed across the network” (203) and is then readily available to everyone else on the network. Moreover, being network literat means that the user understands that they can consume other users content as much as it is the other way around. According to Miles, “…to be ‘good’ at network literacies is to contribute as much as it is to consume.” (204)

I now want to take a quick look, like I have in the past couple of weeks here and here, at how this reading relates back to the prompt ‘How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are being authored, produced and distributed in the network?’. As well as this, what network literacy skills are required to be able to use Instagram at the optimum level?

Well firstly, as mentioned earlier, Miles’ idea on a user being network literat requires them to understand that their content is shared with everyone on the network and visa versa (204). Instagram is a social network specifically designed for users to be able to share their own content and engage with the content of others – specifically in the photos and videos. Thus using instagram requires the knowledge that the app is not a photo storage device, or a memory bank or a private photo album like some may use on their phone or laptop, but instead is designed for content that is suitable or even enjoyable for others to consume. Therefore the majority of users like to keep their Instagram content light, funny, happy, cool, attractive or at the very least attention grabbing. Otherwise there seems to be no point in sharing the content in the first place, as it is meant to be for other users viewing pleasure. This means that someone who is network literat understands that very private material or explicit content that does not fit into the general framework and atmosphere of Instagram should not be posted for other viewers to see. While some may, they are outliers, and Instagram monitors and filters out these users and posts constantly. Therefore in relation to being network literat, users who are should understand what is suitable content for Instagram, and how the content that people share on Instagram and the general tone of the app and it’s users differs from other network apps or websites – where the content may be of a different nature.

Finally, being network literat on Instagram means users understand that the app is designed for users to share their own content. While it allows you to share other people’s content for your own followers to also see, it does it in a way that still credits the original user. While some users may use other apps or websites on the network to find photos to share on their instagram (see every ‘wanderlust’ photo of a random girl on a beach in fiji and you’ll know those kind of googled images), it is a far minority who do this. Instagram also have put in place measures to protect intellectual property, and reserve the right to remove users or content that they see to violate their rules. Therefore network literat users understand that at it’s core Instagram is designed for users to share their own personal stories and experiences to then engage with others’ content as well. While they may not always use the app in this way and may share content that is not original, the users still understand that this is the basic purpose of the Instagram network.

I’m looking forward to next week’s topic ‘social media’ and unpacking that in relation to our prompt once again.