Social bookmarking is a key tool that is used for finding, creating, and managing information on social media. Social bookmarking has been used by organisations for around 15–20 years (Gray et al., 2011) It has provided a new medium for discovering information. Social bookmarking has become very popular with researchers and has beneficial links to data mining and web intelligence. Analysing information based on social bookmarking from 10–15 years ago allowed me to realise how far social bookmarking has adapted. In the 2010s, social bookmarking was in its introductory phase; while the potential was clear, huge improvements were needed, and issues such as spamming and a lack of accuracy were evident (Wetzker et al., 2010). Considering this, the current advancements of social bookmarking have been huge. From the improvements in the level of accuracy to the increased accessibility of social bookmarking websites, social bookmarking has become an increasingly useful tool in everyday life. From creating vision boards to organising group activities, social bookmarking can now be used for an innumerable number of purposes. At the beginning of this module, I personally had knowledge of social bookmarking but was not an avid user. But now, after discovering the various tools and resources, I have become accustomed to utilising social bookmarking websites more frequently.

With the abundance of information currently available, it provides both advantages and disadvantages. Mapping information has become an important tool for determining various factors and providing easily accessible information. Information mapping is now frequently used in the area of weather forecasting in order to estimate for future planning. One such example is flood mapping, which is used to estimate the extent of flood damage to expect in order to adequately prepare. A case study example in the south of France shows the uses of this information mapping and how it has developed over several years and become more efficient (Alfonso et al., 2016). Using this specific method was particularly useful for me; although I had never mapped information prior to this, it was very easy to do, and at the end, the visual display made the information much easier to understand. I focused on the heights of mountain ranges in Ireland and mapped that information; while mapping information can be used for various purposes, it seems to be most effective on natural and physical features of the earth. Initially, I had a general idea of what information mapping was, but after doing some extensive research, I discovered a concise definition that considers it a method of communicating information that provides a method of analysing, organising and visually representing information. (PCMAG, Definition of Information Mapping, 2023) 

As part of this assessment, I was able to work on video creation, editing, and publishing. I had previously done all of these things, so I didn’t give it too much thought and just expected it to be similar to what I had done previously. I discovered various new knowledge regarding video editing that I didn't know before, particularly on how to clean up edits and have the video still look very professional and presentable. In previous years, editing videos was very tedious and time-consuming. Many times the videos ended up looking very unprofessional, with many chops and changes and not many smooth transitions. A newsletter essentially sums this up perfectly, describing the tedious process of video editing prior to the more current video editing tools.(Gottlieb, 2017) Nowadays, with the huge advancements in technology, video editing can be done in a more clean and professional manner. Although it can still be quite time-consuming, as I realised doing this assignment, the end product quality has improved immensely compared to previous years. I found it incredibly interesting to use tools such as screencasting and make a tutorial using the screen and video tools.

Overall, I had previously been aware of the usefulness of social media and how I could use it to support my online engagement and learning, but doing this assignment allowed me to view social media and its uses on a less surface level and gain a deeper understanding. An American news article from 2022 discusses the tools used by social media experts for content creation. In this article, I further learned the importance of social media, with 43% of consumers expanding their social media use to discover new brands and 91% of decision makers planning to expand social media budgets over the next 3 years, according to Sprout Social Reports (Dukadinovska, 2022).

Overall, having a figurative representation of the growth and importance of social media helped me understand the importance of having a good knowledge of social media tools and how to use them efficiently. This assignment allowed me the opportunity to gain such knowledge, and looking back, the knowledge I gained from this assignment was mostly new insights that can be used in the future.


Alfonso, L., Mukolwe, M. M., & Di Baldassarre, G. (2016). Probabilistic flood maps to support decision‐making: Mapping the value of information. Water Resources Research, 52(2), 1026–1043. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015wr017378

Definition of information mapping. PCMAG. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/information-mapping

Dukadinovska, M. (2022, July 12). 5 tools social media experts use to plan and create engaging content [. PRWeb. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.prweb.com/releases/5_tools_social_media_experts_use_to_plan_and_create_engaging_content_designrush_quicksights/prweb18772596.htm

Gottlieb, S. M. (2017, July 31). Patent Issued for Systems and Methods for Creating, Editing and Publishing Recorded Videos.

Gray, P. H., Parise, S., & Iyer, B. (2011). Innovation impacts of using social bookmarking systems. MIS Quarterly, 35(3), 629–643. https://doi.org/10.2307/23042800

Wetzker, R., Zimmermann, C., & Bauckhage, C. (2010). Detecting trends in social bookmarking systems. International Journal of Data Warehousing and Mining, 6(1), 38–57. https://doi.org/10.4018/jdwm.2010090803 

Throughout this module, I’ve been privileged to advance my knowledge on digital literacy and how to become a better digital citizen. I’ve gained insights on social media and how it can often be portrayed in a negative light, but it is essentially what you want it to be. I’ve discovered several useful social media tools in this module, including social bookmarking, mapping, and marking yourself via LinkedIn. I was already aware of the many tools utilised in this module, as many are; however, I didn’t realise the extent to which these tools could aid my development in many aspects. In previous years, social media was seen as a widely negative commodity, but this position has since changed, and research on the change in views over the years has shown that there are numerous positive elements to social media (Glaser et al., 2018). I was aware that there were more beneficial uses of social media, however I never actively looked to discover or utilise these useful tools (Agrawal, 2016). Knowledge from this module has impacted my personal life and allowed me an element of freedom to express myself and display my transferable skills in several different ways using social media tools I located and utilised during this module. 

Currently, many people claim to be digitally literate, but essentially, being digitally literate is not enough and is only an element of it. Digital citizenship has become a vital aspect of social media, but many seem focused on literacy and neglect other important aspects. It is clear that, as part of digital citizenship, there are ethical questions that need to be answered. The pandemic was a particularly prevalent example of a time when the realisation suddenly dawned on social media users that there was a personal responsibility of digital citizenship as there was a larger focus on technology due to the fact that in-person interactions were limited. Research discusses how social media isn’t just about being technically knowledgeable but also about voicing your opinions and potentially developing your community (Buchholz et al., 2020). Using the skills I’ve learned from this module, I can create a plan that will support my control of my digital presence. I believe that the best way to do this is to analyse my social media use and take accountability for how I use it. This will include making adjustments in order to make more positive use of technology and become a good digital citizen. Social media has become more than a mere communication method; it has emerged as a method of pursuing positive change. Ghana is an example of using social media to create positive change (Agbozo & Spassov, 2019). The positive activism used in this scenario is an excellent demonstration of how social media can be used. I shall answer some vital questions about my ethics and my views and use this to decide how I work with social media and raise awareness on the issues that represent my community. Social media tools like LinkedIn create an avenue in which I can market myself professionally to potential employers, business partners, recruiters, etc. LinkedIn has been extremely successful in creating its own niche in the social media market. In a time where social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter were under scrutiny, LinkedIn was seen as a unique social media network as it was viewed as one of the only controversy-free zones on the market (Herman, 2019). I’ve also learned how to use social bookmarking tools, which I believe are excellent tools for brainstorming ideas. Social bookmarking sites such as Pocket and Pinterest have many features where you can visualise ideas and create visually appealing vision boards. This is an excellent tool that can be used in several different aspects, and I will definitely be using the techniques I have in the future. 

In conclusion, this module has provided some vital resources and skills that will allow me to create an effective personal digital strategy. I now have all the foundational materials and knowledge that I can apply in order to become a more competent digital citizen. An article discussing good digital citizenship perfectly encapsulates the resources I’ve gained from this module.The article uses a nice word cloud visualisation with various colours, and it is also written by a user on LinkedIn, which is a good example of good digital citizenship in itself while also portraying the benefits of the social media site. Ethical use of social media sites is as important as ever in the 21st century, and it's vital that each individual take personal responsibility (Mahaseth, 2020). Overall, this module has provided various insights that I will take into the corporate world and essentially use in my daily life. Apart from the personal benefits my digital strategy will have, my aim is to also have a positive impact on my environment and community.

Agbozo, E., & Spassov, K. (2019). Social media as a trigger for positive political action: The case of Ghana’s fight against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey). African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 11(5), 611–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2018.1557369

Agrawal, A. (2016, March 18). It’s not all bad: the social good of social media. Forbes.

Buchholz, B. A., DeHart, J., & Moorman, G. (2020). Digital citizenship during a global pandemic: Moving beyond digital literacy. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 64(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1076

Glaser, P., Liu, J. H., Hakim, M. A., Vilar, R., & Zhang, R. (2018). Is Social Media Use for Networking Positive or Negative? Offline Social Capital and Internet Addiction as Mediators for the Relationship between Social Media Use and Mental Health. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 47(3). https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=dublin&id=GALE%7CA568973088&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

Herman, J. (2019, August 8). Why aren’t we talking about linkedin? New York Times.

Mahaseth, N. (2020, February 17). Qualities of a good digital citizen. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/qualities-good-digital-citizen-nishu-mahaseth