Learning Through A Hashtag: A @SAGradMOD Conversation

January 11th I started the journey of exploring my digital identity. It was something new. Using twitter to engage in topics surrounding my field was fascinating. What I once thought was just a translation of my thoughts now was an avenue for professional development and connections. This phenomena was my first #SAGrad Chat.

A year later and I am humbled to serve as the moderator for @SAGradMOD. It has been a position of learning and growth in expanding my digital identity and competency. I wanted to be the one who started conversations, not just reflections on a topic. I saw at times tweets were seen as statements and not as prompts to start conversations. As a graduate student I saw the power of perspective and storytelling and I wanted those aspects to be rooted in our chat.

This is what started the ‘People’s Question’ as an avenue to create a conversation during the chats, to give participants ownership during the hour. This continued with many of our unscheduled chats around topics that came about from social movements in our society, our #ConcernedStudent1950 and #BlackSAPBlackout being examples of exactly that.

These hashtags symbolize opportunity and not just an avenue for a chat. Hashtags can bolster conversations, emotions, and narratives to a larger audience but can only happen if you have knowledge of each. How are you making something loud? Do you first know the experiences of your students before it reaches the hashtag? Do you know the conversation so you can make it ‘loud’? #BeingBlackAtLSU started due to knowing the conversation, empathizing with the emotion, and listening to narratives of my students. Through this hashtag we reached national attention and also created more conversations with #BeingBlackatFSU and #BeingBlackatCoC.

I believe this is what being the @SAGradMOD has been focused on. What topics can I make loud? How can I use this avenue for others to have conversations, express themselves, or tell the world their story? #SAGrads are a vibrant and dynamic community, one filled of support and ambition in challenging themselves and the status conversation. I have seen this challenge through participation and vulnerability with our weekly chats. How can you create vulnerability and participation? Are you vulnerable and active in the conversation through participation or just listening?

These are all questions I have faced during my time as the moderator. The value of someone’s narrative is pivotal in this role. Every participant is a story that can teach hundreds. I want to keep learning, every week, from every single follower. I thank every follower providing the knowledge, I hope to keep providing an avenue for conversation.

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Ricky Meinke is a 2nd Year Higher Education Administration student from Louisiana State University. Ricky currently serves as the Graduate Assistant for African American Student Affairs. His interests include the relationships between privilege and service and exploring white identity.