Report on Engagement

This is a reflection on my participation in JSGS882 with specific reference to the use of social media and various web based applications in order to engage with my classmates and the world.

I will not deny my reluctance at the beginning of the semester when I read that Twitter was a course requirement. I never understood the appeal of the microblogging platform but I have come to appreciate it over the past few weeks as a tool for sharing and receiving bite sized morsels of information.

One of the experiences that meant a lot to me, small as it may have been, was the opportunity to interact with Kent Greenfield the author of the book I chose to review for this course. Shortly after setting up my account and announcing the book I was reading Prof Longo shared Mr. Greenfield’s Twitter handle with me. I tweeted him indicating that I had enjoyed the book, having sent that message out into the universe I didn’t expect a response and chalked it up to giving my best effort at utilising the tools of the course.

Kent Greenfield Retweet of My Message with Response

Imagine my surprise (and delight) when he responded. In that moment I was connected to this person whom I would probably never meet in real life but we had been able to have this exchange. And I thoroughly enjoyed his book so it was an opportunity to interact with someone for whom I had developed great respect.

It has also been a great experience to be able to use a variety of different media to interact with my classmates. I appreciated the comments and feedback on my book review and the opportunity to see what others had read and how it connected to my chosen book. The use of blogs and tweets meant that I was able to engage with this material at my convenience which allowed me to be best prepared to absorb the information presented and revisit it as necessary to solidify any concepts.

Since blogging while I was interning in Sri Lanka I have thought several times about starting a new blog, I’ve always been held back by whether or not I had something to say which would be of interest to other people. This course and this opportunity has taught me that we all have something important to say, there were so many novel perspectives and insights that I was able to gain from engaging with my classmates and that I was exposed to from being on Twitter.

The rest of this semester is exceedingly busy but I would like to keep up with the blog in the summer after establishing a clear point of view and objective for the blog. I will be staying on Twitter, my tweets may not be as frequent but I have grown accustomed to getting a quick glimpse of what the world is talking about in my notifications feed.

Below I have included some statistics regarding the audience for my blog since it was launched on February 2nd 2017:


Pageviews by country:

Entry	Pageviews
Canada	32
United States	3

The Myth of Choice - A Review

The national anthem of Barbados ends with a line describing the nation’s citizens as “firm craftsmen of our fate” but what if the truth is less empowering. In a culture obsessed with choice and convinced of its ability to freely make decisions Kent Greenfield presents an alternative narrative proposing that perhaps our choices are much less our own than we would like to believe. The Myth of Choice by Kent Greenfield is written in a conversational tone which makes the book difficult to put down even if it’s proposition is at times disheartening. Peppered with anecdotes, research and examples Greenfield makes theory relatable and constructs a persuasive argument that we may choose far less than we think. He however does end on positive note which is instructive on how, and optimistic that, we can improve our ability to make choices.

Greenfield (2011) examines the different ways we think about choice and the associated concept of personal responsibility, he notes that choice is constrained but also that we seem to be aware, intuitively, of the associated limits. He maps the effects of biology, economics and culture on people’s choices but avers that the lack of choice is not unchangeable. This book is of interest to those in the fields of law and public policy as he asks how do these fields consider limitations on choice and how do we use said knowledge to become “better decision makers and more confident and knowledgeable choosers.” (p. 25) Not only does Greenfield point to the role of public policy in encouraging better choices but also that there may be a role for public policy in building decision making capacity.

This book fits squarely into the broad body of literature that examines decision making, bringing together in a single location research from the various subject areas that have attempted to explain how humans make choice, echoing earlier theorists and connecting their themes and ideas to contemporary situations. Greenfield (2011) examines the influence of a variety of factors on decision making power but the topic which I found most interesting was his examination of the role of culture and the often invisible influence that it has on our choices which called to mind the following cartoon.

The author presents a coherent argument with a few helpful suggestions on changing the discussion about choice and the necessary paradigm shift to make choice more genuine.

Greenfield (2011) raises many questions that can be used as a lens of analysis in future decision making exercises for anyone and particularly policy makers moving forward. The book ends with a challenge and an invitation to become more aware, to strengthen our choice making powers and to work towards a world where choice is more real.

References

Greenfield, K. (2011). The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in World of Limits. New Haven: Yale University Press. 

Coming Soon

 

I’ve been away from the blogosphere for a while (see Richelle in Sri Lanka for my last blogging endeavour) but I’m excited to be back.

My return has been prompted by a requirement for my Strategic Management Course…I’m working on my MPA by the way’, that hasn’t been common knowledge outside of Saskatoon.

So keep your eyes on this space for my upcoming review of “The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in a World of Limits” and stay tuned for more thoughts thereafter.

Best