Social Media in Education and Beyond

The fun side of Social Media 

According to the Oxford dictionary, social media (n) is defined as "websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking."

Image Source

 

Aside from the cold definition, social media is possibly the most influential tool for gathering information and connecting. Where do most people get their news? Social Media. Where do people find their "facts"? Social Media. Where do people learn new factoids and information? Social Media. 

For example, last week I learned the background behind the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th on social media. 

Social Media is also a great way to revive old traditions and shine light on forgotten creative gems. Two examples that come to mind are the revival of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" due to a viral TikTok video. It actually is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between generations through the love of music. 

Another example is the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. This recevied a revival 19 years later due to the popularity of a meme which was posted on social media. 

Image Source

Social Media is also a great way to spread learning tools. For example, there is a #Mathphotoaday challenge where each day you have to find a specific math photo using the assigned symbol or setting. 

Honestly, math was never my forte at school, but this challenge would motivate me to look for math in everyday situations. It is a great way to spread appreciation about the subject. 

Another great example would be #ShakespeareSunday hosted by the Hollow Crown Fans on Twitter. Each week they give a theme like parents or happy places. Your job is to then find a Shakespeare quote that matches the theme and post it on Twitter with the hashtag. Here is this week's theme (October 14, 2023):

Image Source: Personal Image

 

An example I plan to post for this theme is: 

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!"

Richard III, Shakespeare

#ShakespeareSunday

 

This is a great way to keep people engaged and bring awareness to Shakespeare plays and understand where these famous lines originate.  

 

How can libraries become involved with topic hashtags?

Personally I would love it if libraries participated in these themes! They could suggest books and plays related to the topic. This can also apply to museums and art museums. 

As we all know, libraries can do with more marketing and this is the perfect opportunity to highlight books in the library's catalog and urge people to check them out. 

Here is a weekly list of literary and art hashtag topics:

 

Monday: #ClassicLitMonday hosted by Sam

Tuesday: #FairyTaleTuesday hosted by Fairy Tale Tuesday 

Wednesday: #LegendaryWednesday hosted by Legendary Wednesday and #WyrdWednesday hosted by Wyrd Wednesday

Thursday: #TheatreThursday or #TheaterThursday hosted by Curtain Call

Friday: #FaustianFriday hosted by Of Dark and Macabre

Saturday: #BookWormSat hosted by Book Worm Sat(urday)

Sunday: #ShakespeareSunday hosted by Hollow Crown Fans

 

These are just a few examples, but there are probably more out there to explore!

The decline of Digital Literacy in the Digital Age

Social Media is a great way to spread knowledge and fun factoids, but it also has its downside: it is a breeding ground for misinformation. 

Though all social media platforms have this problem, Twitter or X is the main culprit. There are many "verified" accounts spreading misinformation through fear mongering and using trigger words to rile up a base. The amount of views these posts get are very dangerous and the company itself will not do anything about it.

Ironically, the definition of "verified" means to make sure or demonstrate that something is true or justified. Before "verified" became a subscription service, it used to be used to verify one's identity, such as a celebrity or an official account for a company. 

Nowadays, anyone can be "verified" no matter their affiliation or relationship to facts and the truth. 

As librarians, we must help educate and prepare people for the onslaught of misinformation constantly being funneled through our social media feed. A great source for digital literacy, ironically, is from Meta the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Whats-app, and Threads. The website includes resources for parents, teachers, youth, etc.  

 

What can librarians do to promote digital literacy?

Combat misinformation with information! The best way to promote digital literacy is to post on social media advice on how to spot misinformation. A social media user's brain is a like a sponge and once it sees this advice on their feed, they will remember!

 

Image Source