Teaching and learning with social media

In this chapter, the term social media is used as a singular – through media is a plural form of medium – to refer to the type of online social platform that allows users to meet virtually or get in touch with one another through social activities such as sharing of photographs, updating of states, and taking part in conversations. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. With the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT), social media use has grown substantially over the years. According to the recent statistical result published on the Statistics Portal (2021), there are about 2.7 billion monthly active users of Facebook, 2.0 billion users of WhatsApp and 1.78 billion viewers of YouTube. Most of them belong to young adult age group, and many of them are primary or secondary school students.

Social media has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Though it is initially designed for social interaction like sharing information and keeping in contact with others but not for educational purposes, it has great potential for teaching and learning because of its participatory nature and interactivity. This chapter describes the potential benefits and risks of using social media for teaching and learning. Three examples of using various social media platforms (i.e., Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) for teaching and learning are described. In addition, ways of using social media to support teaching and learning effectively are suggested for teachers.