A personal learning network (PLN) refers to the various media one uses to enrich themself knowledge-wise. Nowadays, many people use social media as their PLN due to its facilitated access to a vast range of ideas, knowledge, disciplines and people who could help them access more of those things. Networking through social media is done by connecting to other people and discovering new information from anywhere in the world from our fingertips through our social media platforms.

People are often drawn to using PLNs due to the increased rapidity and efficiency it allows to reach new and close-to-exact information or human connections they are looking for or may need to reach their personal goals. Furthermore, the use of PLNs generates algorithms that curate suggestions that would likely be of interest to the users, making it even more efficient for people to discover new information and connections that may contribute to their personal advancement. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are great examples of social media platforms that store and trade their users’ personal data.

Using PLNs also comes with some risk of having personal information leaked or traded with third parties, legally or illegally. Social media platforms used as PLNs often collect data from their users that they also use to make profits by selling it to third parties who can use it to curate targeted marketing ads. This phenomenon can be referred to as social media surveillance, and sometimes causes people to wonder if we are all unique individuals or merely the products of what our algorithms present to us.