Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning

TLDR

Social media is seen as a potential bridge between formal and informal learning, yet most young users act as consumers rather than active participants, and the field remains under-theorized. The authors propose a model that conceptualizes social media as a learning space with varying degrees of formality and informality. They apply the model to two contrasting case studies, using social constructivism and connectivism to illuminate learning complexities across settings. The study concludes that the model offers new insights into social media’s role in education and suggests directions for future research.

Abstract

It is argued that social media has the potential to bridge formal and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Exemplars of sophisticated use by young people support this claim, although the majority of young people adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants. Scholars have suggested the potential of social media for integrating formal and informal learning, yet this work is commonly under-theorized. We propose a model theorizing social media as a space for learning with varying attributes of formality and informality. Through two contrasting case studies, we apply our model together with social constructivism and connectivism as theoretical lenses through which to tease out the complexities of learning in various settings. We conclude that our model could reveal new understandings of social media in education, and outline future research directions.