(Last
year I completed a 3-year qualitative research inductive analysis exploring Facebook
and the experiences of
11 counselors who were using Facebook as a platform for communication.
Specifically, it answered the question: “What are the experiences of career counselorswho use Facebook for counseling?”. Here are some of the findings, results and my recent thoughts.)
Is Facebook or Instagram now becoming
the norm or our main source of communication and information? If you answer yes, you are not alone. Around 68% of American grown-ups say they get
news via social media, as indicated by Pew
Research Center study. We can
also see a big change on how teens communicate.
About 35%
of teens prefers messaging, trailed by face to face at 32 percent.
In 2012, face to face (49 percent) topped messaging (33 percent). Social networking has turned upside down how
we communicate, get information, even dating, shopping, and so on. But it has made
a hole in doing some of these things.
But what I want to examine is the responses from my last year’s 3-year qualitative
research inductive analysis exploring Facebook and the experiences of 11
counselors who were using Facebook as a platform for communication.
As Facebook’s algorithm and
settings continuously evolve, further research focusing on using social
networking sites and Facebook for career counseling will unexpectedly update my
research in 2015. The initial findings from my analysis contingent from the
recorded interviews of the 11 career counselors have shown that there is no
balanced conclusion or even a model supporting that Facebook or social media is
a useful tool for career counseling but a very valid way to communicate and
receive information. Whether or not it
is reasonable to use Facebook in mainstream counseling, considering that the
privacy issues, timeliness, and effectiveness is beyond the scope of my
previous research but I would like to share my thoughts on how Facebook may or
may not be valid way on how we communicate in business or personal setting more
than telephone, email or face-to-face. Here
is why and how we can do it more effectively:
Be Mobile, Get Fast But Be Alert
One reason why Social Media (in this case Facebook for the Xenials or Generation X - the age median of the study participants) is so effective
is because it is mobile, and the technology attached to it (such as WiFi or 5G)
is getting faster. Would we rather make
a phone call and get an answering machine not knowing when we will get a
response or sometimes we forgot the actual voicemail we left behind? Unlike in private messages, we can see what
we wrote and share a supplemental information that can be referred back again
and again during the later conversation.
In my research, one counselor
likes the idea of having a supplemental resource and can always get back to his
client based at any time of the day that you cannot do it over the phone or
even email that is sometimes block with spam.
His advice, use Facebook for expediency or convenience but with caution
and still make a phone call and take advantage of the technology.
Follow the Routine and Get in with the New Generation
A second reason why Facebook is so
effective is because it may be the preferred method for the New Generation who
relies on mobility (powerful phone) and technology (apps and cheaper data
signals) that goes with it. Most of the
clients of those 11 counselors I have interviewed (back in 2015) are between
the age of 25-40 and most of them are proficient in using smartphone
applications including Facebook. In most
cases the clients (or Sailors) contact their counselor using the Private
Message and most recently, you can see them post questions on counselor
Facebook group page that is usually happening in a face-to-face counseling
session such as: “Am I eligible to earn my GI Bill Transfer if I leave the
military after 4 years?” that not only gets a faster response but vouch with
other counselors for accuracy.
This is sometimes cannot happen
faster or even receive more accurate answers over the phone, email or face-to-face. But this is not guarantee. The best way to get a full accurate
information is to use the Group Page then also use the Private Message for
confirmation and seek outside conversation by phone. We should ask the preferred communication of
the person we are speaking to or how often they uses that medium.
Know Your Settings and Use it Often
Most people I have observed uses
Facebook just to scoop information and no interaction. There is a disadvantage to that if using it
as communication tool. Practice makes
perfect and this goes to using for two-way conversation. Being professional, polite and positive in
our comments and postings should not only encourage conversation but lead into
positive resolution, as an alternative ways to communicate.
On my research, a counselor
preferred to use email for direction and phone by confirmation but uses a
Facebook Counselor group page to communicate with colleagues for advice. Facebook & other social media such as
LinkedIn or Instagram - continues to evolve as tool, one research concluded
that the actual potential of any new technology, such as social media, can only
be fully actualized in social work if the professionals can take a more
hands-on role in both general usage and technology development (Chan &Holosko, 2017).
Other Findings & Final Thoughts
Based on my eleven interviews in 2015 and recent findings
from others who had some social media research similar to mine, such as Pedersen,Naranjo, and Marshall (2017) demonstrated that Facebook could be used to communicate,
approach and retain a diverse sample of young adult veteran drinkers who could
benefit from alcohol intercession efforts.
Drogos’ (2015) research revealed that adolescents who utilize Facebook
more frequently have more multifaceted self-concepts than their contemporaries
who post fewer status updates; teenagers who posted more pictures had stronger
self-concepts than the individuals who displayed fewer photos.
The number of Facebook consumers has dramatically increased
since its inception (Hanna, Kee, & Robertson, 2017). In today’s working
environment, with the intention to communicate and reach one another and
despite the cynical suspicions, this research suggested that the use of
Facebook or social media within the work environment could advance positive
forces at work (Hanna et al., 2017). In
my view, Facebook nor any other social media is not yet the main source of how
we can talk and listen but social media continues to evolve and should be investigated. The best way to investigate and be explored
is we should use it recurrently but wisely, that means use our Facebook setting
accordingly and treat it like how you communicate face-to-face, how you email
and how you use your voice telephone.
0 Comments