Social Media Literacy and Educational Approaches in the 21st Century Teaching & Learning Context: B.Ed Honours Course Content
Social Media Literacy & Modes of Education in 21st Century (B.Ed Honours) Course Content
Introduction
The term social media refers to the digital interaction among different social groups. One of the most integral aspects of human life in the 21st century is social media, and it has significantly transformed how individuals communicate, interact, and gain information. Social media has opened the door to new opportunities for learning and information sharing including diverse challenges for teachers and learners in the process of teaching and learning.
In less advanced countries like Pakistan, teachers are still reluctant to use social media platforms while teaching because they lack certain skills to use different social media platforms effectively. As a result of it, such teachers rely on outdated traditional methods of teaching. On the other hand, many students believe that the purpose of social media use is just for entertainment and informal interaction with digital friends. Whereas, the actual objective of social media literacy is the ability to effectively navigate and critically evaluate and use different social media platforms in a responsible and informed manner including sharing information and ideas.
Both teachers and students, therefore, need certain skills that enable critical engagement with digital content, online collaboration, self-paced learning, and using social media platforms positively as an effective learning and creative tool. The changing educational landforms have resulted in the integration of social media into teaching and learning strategies.
Social media has opened up new avenues for communication and collaboration, as well as better access to information, learning resources, improving skills, and developing worldwide perspectives. On the other hand, there is a dire need to redefine the model of education to keep up with the accelerated digital shift. Teachers, therefore, must prepare young learners to be productive in an interdependent, self-paced learning and information-rich world. This, therefore, entails not only the teaching of technical skills but also how to think critically, learn proper ethical conduct and improve media awareness.
This 21st-century teaching and learning requires an interdisciplinary approach where social media literacy ought to be one of the curricula taught by teachers. It is in this manner that they might equip their students with the appropriate skills for the evaluation of digital content, healthy constructive online dialogue, and the consequences of online presence.
Social media integration in education also opens new doors to innovative pedagogic methods such as flipped classrooms, collaborative projects, and global networking opportunities, all of which have impacted the learning experience. It is through social media literacy that students must build abilities to navigate responsibly and creatively the digital world, making for an informed, engaged, and capable generation.
The main objective of this blog article is to discuss the main types of media, along with their interconnection with social media.
Media (plural form of medium) are referred to as the different channels, modes of communication, tools, platforms, and means through which information, ideas, and entertainment are spread to the public in written, audio and visual forms. Media is as old as human history itself. However, with time, modes of media have also been changing alongside change and development in human society. In traditional categorizations, media have been divided into print media, electronic media, and social media each characteristically different from the other. These forms of media have transformed over time and have become even more intertwined with one another, especially with digital and social media.
1. Print Media: Print media which started soon after the invention of the Printing Press in Germany, is the process of communication through printed matter, such as Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, Letters, Books, and Pamphlets.
History: Print media has had its early existence since the 15th century when Johannes Gutenberg discovered the printing press. The invention of the printing press which allowed books, newspapers, and pamphlets in large quantities created rapid changes in the field of information sharing, significantly affecting education, literacy, and public opinion. Print media dominated communication until the end of the 20th century. However, things started changing after the invention of Radio and Television.
Impact: Print media has shaped public discourse enormously, led political movements, and preserved cultural heritage. However, the growth of electronic media and internet has negatively affected print media in realms of readership and advertising revenues.
Interconnection with Social Media: Print media has adapted itself to this reality by creating digitized editions of newspapers and magazines that are commonly shared across most social media sources. News stories printed on paper become popular stories for 'discussions' that transcend the boundaries of most forms of social media.
2. Electronic Media: These are media forms of transferring information by using electronic devices, which include the Internet, Radio, Telephone, Telegram, Fax Machine, Xerox Machine, and Television.
History: Electronic mass communication began with radio and television in the 20th century. Although the radio (invented by Guglielmo Marconi) first gained popularity in the 1920s, it was the earliest form of electronic mass communication. Television (invented by Jahan Logie Baird) was more general usage by the 1950s. Both, in a rather effortless way, had a tremendous impact on public opinion, entertainment, and education. Internet and digital media through websites, blogs, and podcasts then broadened electronic media to digital formats from the very beginning of the 21st century.
Influence: Electronic media changed the way people gathered information, and broadcast news and entertainment were the primary sources of information. Since the rise of online streaming services, podcasts, and social media, electronic media continues to become more integrated into digital platforms that support more interactive, on-demand, and user-generated content.
Interlink with Social Media: Social media platforms have become distribution channels for televisions, radios, and pods. Programs, news and other content are mostly shared and discussed on social media platforms, thereby making the interaction between electronic media and social media very vibrant. Other visual and audible content is now consumed at the expense of others on social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
3. Social Media: Social media refers to a broad spectrum of digital platforms that allow users to create, share, and engage with information and connect with others. These sites provide opportunities for users to post in various forms of content such as text, images, videos, and more via interactions such as likes, shares, comments, and messages. Popularity has been evident with social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. Such platforms include but are not limited to, Wikipedia, Google Docs, Khan Academy, Zoom, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams, which have become invaluable in education and collaboration for communication, learning, and knowledge-sharing. In addition, free and open access to scholarly articles, research papers, and academic content from sources such as Google Scholar, Zendy, ResearchGate, and Wiley have also greatly contributed to the cause, hence democratizing knowledge and making information more accessible for all users across the globe.
History
The dawn of social media as is known today started developing at the beginning of the 21st century. In 2002, Friendster came out with the online networking concept, followed by MySpace in 2003. All this was a setup for future social platforms. Nonetheless, it was the introduction of Facebook in 2004 that caused a real shake in the social media process and, for the first time in history, really popularized the idea of connecting with others online. It was from here on that social platforms began rapidly to proliferate, amassing millions of users worldwide. As more years passed by, platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok participated in the lists of major social networking players, all of which greatly contributed to the expansion of global communication and content-sharing practices. Social media did not just become a means of social interaction but was also transformed into the central medium for entertainment, education, marketing, and more ways of interacting with each other.
Impact
The impact of social media has been significant, changing the landscape of communication, information sharing, and content creation. Probably the most significant transformation is in democratizing the production of content. The owner of any internet connection can now become a content producer of personal experiences, educational resources, news, or opinions. This change has mobilized individuals and communities to circumvent traditional gatekeepers such as news organizations, publishing houses, and media outlets to usher in the world of new "user-generated content."
Social Media Literacy in Education
Beyond content creation, social media has also become a necessary appliance for social networking, political activism, entertainment, and commerce. Activists and organizations have leveraged the power of social media to mobilize movements, raise awareness about social issues, and organize events. Entertainment has been revolutionized, as YouTube and TikTok have opened up opportunities for everyone to attain worldwide fame as well as influence their views on how media and entertainment should be consumed. Social media, in the course of development, has become a player in digital marketing and e-commerce, providing communication channels between businesses and consumers and allowing for innovative product promotion.
Besides this, social media has not only revolutionized how people communicate and share information but also created avenues for creativity, commerce, and activism that deeply influence multiple dimensions of modern life.
Social media literacy in education defines the skills and knowledge that are required to navigate, assess, and use social media sites wisely, responsibly, and with good judgment. Social media literacy involves understanding how social media works, recognizing its effects on communication and learning, and developing critical thinking skills to evaluate the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of content online. In learning environments, social media literacy enables them to utilize these platforms not only for social connection but also for learning, research, or teamwork.
Social media literacy has the following significant components:
- Platform Knowledge: Knowing how different social media work, what unique features each platform has, and what kind of audience it is targeting. Students must understand the distinctions between Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and scholarly platforms like Google Scholar or ResearchGate.
- Critical thinking: Develop the critical sense of interpreting content, and recognizing the context and intent behind postings. This would include questioning the source, the credibility of the information, and the author, as well as assessing potential biases or misinformation.
- Ethical Engagement: Develop students' practices with respect and responsibility on social media to foster positive digital citizenship. This would include respect for other's privacy, avoidance of cyberbullying, and ethical standards in creating content and sharing it.
- Management of digital footprints: That's an understanding of the long-term implications of one's online presence. Students should learn to manage their digital footprint by being mindful of what they post since it can impact their reputation and academic or professional future.
Accessing Information Correctly and Avoiding Misinformation
In the digital age today, there is a broad provision of information for every student on social media, most of which is wrong and not true. The need to teach students to locate credible sources and how to filter out incorrect information becomes very important for social media literacy. Here's how students can do this:
Identifying Credible Sources:
- Fact-checking tools: The student must be introduced to fact-checking websites such as Snopes, FactCheck.org, or PolitiFact on claims of credibility on social media.
- Evaluating Sources: Recognize the value of source credibility. Peer-reviewed academic journals, reputable news outlets, and official government websites are more credible than unverified or anonymous posts.
- Cross-Referencing Information: Ask your students to crosscheck information from multiple reliable sources before accepting it as correct. If an idea or a news story is reported only from one source or one social media post, it should be verified with other well-established sources.
- Be aware of Biases and Propaganda: Students need to recognize biases in media, including emotional manipulation or sensational language. This includes being wary of extreme perspectives and understanding what can be called an opinion vs. what is actual reporting.
Algorithms and Filter Bubbles
Social media uses algorithms that rank content based on past interaction usage, which would create a "filter bubble" limiting exposure to a diversity of views. Students should be aware of this phenomenon and seek out a wide range of viewpoints where relevant and necessary when conducting research.
Promotion of Media Literacy Education
Schools and universities must institute curricula that aim to educate students about the tenets of media literacy: appraising web materials, knowing how algorithms work, and developing discernment between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources.
Academic Databases
Engage students in academic databases and libraries (e.g., Google Scholar, JSTOR, university library portals) when students and researchers need high-quality, peer-reviewed articles and studies rather than social media.
How to Correct Misinformation and Disinformation
Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information spread without malicious intent, while disinformation is intentionally fabricated or altered to mislead or deceive others. Students should learn to spot both types and understand how these can be spread on social media platforms. Student users would be able to dive deeper into social media literacy, thus encouraging more effective navigating of the digital world, accessing online discussions with careful thought and informed opinions, and enhancing a responsible digital communication environment. This helps to improve students' experience through educational services while ensuring minimal risk of such dangers presented by misinformation.
Integration with Print and Electronic Media: Social media is an amplifier and accelerator of the message carried out by traditional media, be it print or electronic. Moreover, new communication methods are created as viral marketing, citizen journalism, and crowd-sourced information; therefore, news comes out from a TV show or from a podcast and suddenly becomes hot news through online discussions within social media in real-time, creating public opinion and shaping the narrative.
Classical Gathering and Information-Sharing Platforms
Before the advent of new media, information sharing and public talk took place in a physical space. Though unmediated by technology, these platforms played very important roles in social and political life.
I. Public Gathering Halls: Public gathering halls were places to which public issues were taken for discussion with audiences, and there was supposed to be public response in the form of debate or call by public speakers. All the important civilisations of human history including Egyptian civilisation, Somarian civilisation, Mesopotamian civilisation, Greek civilisation, Moen-Jo-Daro civilisation, and Roman civilisation witnessed that there were large public gathering halls as a mode of communication and platform for interaction between masses and rulers.
Impact: Public halls also lie at the heart of democratic participation because they offer intellectuals a forum for exchange and to engage in civic responsibilities. It is often here that one finds political rallies, lecturers with educational activities, and community discussions to bring about a collective identity.
Interconnection with Modern Media: This tradition of public debate and discussion morphed into the modern medium of talk shows, political commentary programs, and online forums where the entire population can talk about issues at the global level.
II. Religious Places: Temples, Churches, Mosques and other religious centres are and have always been a highly important place for communal gathering, information sharing, and moral discourse.
Influence: There were religious gatherings that formed the foundation where doctrine, morals, and development within the society were communicated. Most religious leaders both held the position of a teacher to society and a news reporter.
Connection to New Media: Today, religious appeals and sermons are aired on television, radio, and web like YouTube and Facebook sites where such live interactions are possible and people can reach out to others anywhere in the world.
III. Sport and Wrestling Stadiums: For decades, live stadiums and arenas have been venues for sporting and physical competitions and entertainment shows.
Impact: Such centres of social activity formed significant places of gathering for people to share, watch, and analyze athletic performance, political events, and cultural celebrations. Arenas were the focal point for public spectacle and social bonding.
Interlinking with New Media: Today, modern sports and entertainment have been represented on electronic media such as television and live streams. Social media further extends the reach of sporting events; there are live tweets, fan interactions, and immediate debates taking place alongside broadcasts.
IV. Debates with Informational People: Intellectual debates among the educated class or intellectuals were of crucial repute in forming public opinion and were mainly held in a society where education was limited to the elite few.
Impact: Intellectual debates often in a public forum or academic institutions provide a platform for the formation of ideologies, values, and knowledge. Contemporary debates often occur as televised debates, podcasts, and discussion forums on the internet. For example, social media provides a wider reach. Users can actively engage, or passive observers, in live debates and thus become more accessible to the rest of the population.
Conclusion
Media have also changed from basically being chiefly classical gathering spaces to print, electronic, and social media settings. This has dramatically changed the process of information sharing and consumption. Print and electronic media have played foundational roles in mass communication in comparison to the additive layers of interactivity, immediacy, and democratization through social media.
Indeed, public debates trace back to classical places like public halls, houses of worship, and debating platforms. However, social media in modern times forward this influence by enhancing and widening discussions among different groups within the global network. The interconnected nature of these forms of media underscores the dynamics of changing communication and the continued influence of both tradition and new media in shaping norms and politics as well as education.
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