On Being Networked

As I was reading Peter and Trudy's story in Networked: The New Social Operating System, I couldn't help but think about how "Networked" societies show up in my own life, and how, for the most part, my experiences echo the claims on the authors in that the online societies I have in my life has been a huge support for me and for others that I know. For example, in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast, my brother and sister-in-law lost everything. Their closest circle all rallied together as much as we could, and we did the physical work of helping to clean out the house etc, but they needed financial support. My Aunt, who was living in California at the time, set up a GoFundMe to help them get back on their feet. This GFM account was shared widely, and people that didn't even know our family donated. It was really surreal in a lot of ways. This is the most immediate thing that came to mind, as I feel it echoes Peter and Trudy's experience, but the difference is that unlike Peter and Trudy, my brother and sister-in-law don't have a "networked core self." My brother has no social media at all, and my sister-in-law isn't super active. So I'm really interested to continue reading and maybe exploring how an individual's networked self can benefit those around them who may not necessary be networked themselves. 

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