Countering Digital Marginality: Opportunities for inclusion in online spaces Felicia Harris, Ph.D. Chris Linder, Ph.D. Working Deﬁnition: Perceived interpersonal distancing (feelings of subordination, discounting, and/or being ignored) in communities or conversations facilitated through communication technology (social networking sites/apps, virtual support groups, etc.). #NASPA15 #DigMarg Trevor’s Story @universityofga @UGAHousing Please give me a cool roommate who will be open minded and cool with black people. Roommate search is a struggle Trevor’s Story Trevor had been searching for a roommate on Twitter using #UGA18. The hashtag was being used as often as every ﬁve minutes this summer, yet he felt invisible. However, after weeks of reaching out he felt that his posts were being ignored and questioned whether or not he belonged at UGA. [Social media accounts are] there for looks to say that UGA is technologically advanced (laughter). I didn’t think anybody was going to respond. I was thinking you know, there’s no way they can honestly help me out with this, so I’m going to just complain about it and just kind of vent on Twitter because, you know, that’s what we do on Twitter; we just kind of vent. So I think when I at-‐ted you, I think that was just me being bold… I was positive nothing was going to happen, but I did it just to do it, you know. #NASPA15 #DigMarg How does digital marginalization inﬂuence students and campus environments? Connections to Theory ¡  Students’ perception of aﬃliation and identiﬁcation with the university community (Strayhorn, 2012). §  Perceptions of social support §  Connectedness §  Mattering or feeling cared about §  Relational and reciprocal #NASPA15 #DigMarg ¡  Growing & Inconclusive ¡  Beneﬁts & Challenges of Social Media’s Inﬂuence on Campus Environments ¡  Social Media as a Tool #NASPA15 #DigMarg Recent Impact at UGA Student Responses On Facebook: “It's uncomfortable, disheartening, and hurtful to believe that I'm surrounded by such people who don't see the value in those that don't look like them or agree with everything they believe in. It's also unsettling to see a lack of movement, acknowledgment, and solidarity from the University's administration…” “How can Black students here at UGA feel safe, involved, equal, included and welcomed in an environment where we are burdened with the thought that a plethora of our peers hold opinions of this nature...” To the Athens Banner-‐Herald: “We want the University of Georgia administration to acknowledge that a situation exists, and it aﬀects us here…” Have you encountered digital marginalization on your campus? Did you take action? Why or why not? ¡  In your role, what are some strategies you could use to address digital marginalization? ¡  How can SA professionals be present in these spaces in a way that supports student development? ¡  What are the essential components of your SA training that could be applied in online environments? #NASPA15 #DigMarg