Social Media Platforms
Social networking sites have fundamentally altered the way individuals live. “Today, I heavily depend on social networking sites for our day-to-day activities” (Saurabh, S., & Sairam, A.S., 2013). By examining the history of traditional collection development in academic libraries, the author illustrates how YouTube fits into the long continuum of library media collections as an open-access platform (Cho, A., 2013). Google’s solution to the issue of inaccessible areas was the creation of a new YouTube portal, which allowed students to explore safely on their own. However, by blocking access to YouTube in classrooms, educators are isolating themselves from the environments where students spend significant time and engage in informal learning (Kristen Bloom & Kelly Marie Johnston, 2010). Koumi (2013) offers a useful categorization for assessing the learning value of video content, arguing that video’s power in supporting learning resides in three distinct areas: motivation and engagement, cognitive learning, and experiential learning value (Peter Tiernan, 2015).
The participatory nature of video platforms empowers users through the multimodal format, enabling expression, civic engagement, creation of user-generated content (UGCs), and sharing of knowledge, learning, and experience. Jenkins et al. have identified four types of participatory culture: affiliations, expressions, collaborative problem-solving, and circulations. These necessitate new media literacy skills developed through collaboration and networking to address performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking, and negotiation (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton, and Robinson, 2009). Due to its ubiquitous, collaborative, and peer-to-peer environment, the teaching profession recognizes it as a potent didactic tool for teaching and learning purposes.
Furthermore, YouTube, as the second most popular video-oriented platform, shares its high patronage with other SM channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Telegram, and LinkedIn. WhatsApp is deemed the most crucial instant messaging application for smartphones and computers in Spain, celebrated for its chat services and authentic social networks where users converse, exchange information, photos, videos, and homework screenshots (cSánchez-Moya & Cruz-Moya, 2015; Giménez & Zirpoli, 2015; Cánovas et al., 2014). Offering benefits like cost, community sense, and immediacy, WhatsApp serves 1.5 billion users across 180 countries, with India being its largest market (Church & De Oliveira, 2013):
WhatsApp, one of the most-used apps in the world, is patronised by 1.5 billion users in 180 countries. India is WhatsApp’s biggest market in the world. WhatsApp is beleaguered by the problems of misinformation in other large markets including India, Brazil, Indonesia, Central America and Brazil. The outcomes in India have been far more violent than elsewhere. Thirty people have been killed across the country in the past few days, after rumours spread on the app about child kidnappers on the loose and a video was circulated that purported to show a boy being snatched.
WhatsApp has grown to be the most democratised mobile-based instant messenger and chat tool to be applied in social, institutional and educational life. It has been widely recognised for its speed and effectiveness in disseminating messages, images and videos with end-to-end encryption. Although it has been widely used for its immediacy and pervasiveness it has, nevertheless hogged international headlines for the wrong reasons in many different parts of the world. It has been predominantly used in political campaigns in the US presidential elections. In Brazil political campaigners used software to scrape handbook for citizens’ phone numbers for automatically sending them WhatsApp messages and adding them to WhatsApp groups . This environment implies the ability to understand media messages, discern multiple perspectives and grasp the hidden meaning of media content. Similarly, a core principle of media education, according NAMLE (2007), is the exploration of “representations, misrepresentation and lack of representation of cultures and countries in the global community” (section 4.5). The above objectives are critical learning points precisely because Web 2.0 puts students in contact with other students from a variety of social and cultural backgrounds.
This is a Facebook world which has been widely recognised not only as distribution platforms in the news industry but also as the only platform at the heart of their SM landscape where all the interviewed outlets are publishing bespoke videos. But it does not follow that publication strategy and packaging features of successful video news do not publish on different contemporary platforms. (Judith Argila, 2017)
SM platforms such as facebook are now a ubiquitous part of everyday life for many people during their waking hours. New media scholars posit that the participatory culture encouraged by SM gives rise to new forms of skills that improve learning. Scholars argue that platforms such as facebook or X allow individuals to practice new skills and ways to engage with learning processes (Greenhow, C., and Gleason, B. 2012, Greenhow, C., and Robelia, E. 2009)
Jenkins observes that individuals now participate in online communities and engage with new technologies that encourage media creation and sharing. Today’s learner does not merely read or consume content. They create information in a myriad of media channels and formats, such as status updates on Facebook, tweets on the X platform, videos on YouTube, or personal blog posts. These affordances create a participatory culture where creating, sharing, and collaborating in online networks to become vital skills for learning. Jenkins suggests that the following skills are essential when working in new media environments:
Play – capacity to problem solve, tinker, and experiment with one’s surroundings
Performance – ability to adopt different identities to explore and learn
Simulation – ability to construct and interpret models to explore real-world phenomena
Appropriation – understanding of how to sample and remix other sources in one’s own work
Multitasking – capability to shift attention as needed
Distributed Cognition – skills to effectively use information and tools to expand one’s mental capacity
Collective Intelligence – ability to collaborate and pool knowledge effectively
Judgement – skills to evaluate information sources as credible and reliable
Transmedia Navigation – use of multiple means and platforms to follow information streams
Networking – ability to search for, synthesize, and share information through online networks
Negotiation – ability to participate in and adapt to different communities.
Research shows that social networking sites like it provides a virtual constructivist environment conducive for students to actively participate in during the study which can supplement in-class learning. Knowledge is built by students in the constructivist method which is student-centric Hence, the study is amenable as an effective learning environment. (Toprak, A et al)
What Can We Learn from Research Activity? Using Social Learning Analytics to Observe New Media Skills (The Education Foundation is a leading organisation set up to accelerate and support positive change in the British education system and beyond.)
The aim of this section is to respond to three following questions: (1) Is there a potential educational value in using Facebook? (2) How does the educational utility of the study compare with that of other social mediums available on the Internet, such as the bulletin board system (BBS)? These subjects were questioned about their use of BBS platforms, and e-learning platforms. There were three major new findings. Firstly, 81 percent of subjects had discussed course-related problems with their peers. Secondly, in relation to the six known motives for using peer discussion of educational matters was considered to be the fourth most important in this survey. Lastly, utility does not satisfy users’ occasional need to review or browse through past communication records; BBS fares much better in this regard.
Another research found that it has the education element of using motivation and is more convenient in sharing educational resources than e-learning and Bulletin Board System (BBS). and offers immediacy of learning. (Bin-ShyanJonga et al)
The Economist pointed out that contrary to SM’s ‘promise of a more enlightened politics, as accurate information and effortless communication helped good people drive out corruption, bigotry and lies’ it has been spreading poison rather than enlightenment. It noted that users may have seen Russian misinformation on its platform as Google’s YouTube admitted carrying 1,108 Russian-linked videos and X to 36,746 accounts.
“WhatsApp profile pictures can be used by ISIS for terror activities”, “New notes have a GPS chip to detect black money”, “UNESCO falsely declares; (1) new Rs 2,000 note best currency in the world”. (2) Jana Gana Mana best national anthem”, (3) PM Modi best Prime Minister”, and “RBI declares the Rs 10 coin invalid”. These were some headlines that criss-crossed the digital superhighway in India. Not forgetting the following false headlines: ‘Pope backs Trump’, ‘Hillary sold weapons to ISIS’, ‘FBI Agent Suspected in Hillary Email Leaks Found Dead’ -that went viral on Facebook in the run up to the election.
- X (formerly twitter)
Micro-blogging instant messenger X enhances active engagement and access to information. The Twiducate Platform is a popular awesome, incredibly popular free learning tool for students in K-12. is a free social network platform for school educators to create private networks for posting assignments, sending messages etc. with other educators either outside or inside the classroom. is a free social networking tool for teachers and students. It’s a social microblogging platform for educators so that they can learn outside the classroom. By using this platform educators can create their own personal workspace where they can add and collaborate with the desired members. Along with this educators can create their private network for posting assignments and messages to students or other people with an invitation to the class network. Being a teacher, you can monitor and administer the accounts of the students of your network. With features like Facebook mark and +links educators can manage their resources. For offline use, educators can export their favourite posts and comments which can be accessed with a word document .
Students’ perceptions of X as a pedagogical tool is scanty. X feed was a positive addition to teaching/education and provided insights in three themes: digital , educational experience and professional identity. X appeared to add value to the students’ educational experience via peer-assisted learning, collaboration and connectivity. Professional identity awareness can impact students’ X activity; therefore, consideration regarding the enhancement of self-confidence and active engagement within this platform is recommended. Amanda Deves et al)
If the press is the Fourth Estate, William Dutton of the Oxford Internet Institute termed SM as the emergence of the Fifth Estate. In a 2009 interview with Nic Newman, former BBC Future Media Controller, Dutton said “we are witnessing the emergence of powerful new voices and networks which can act independently of the traditional media. Highly networked individuals (helped by new platforms like social networking and messaging) can move across, undermine and go beyond the boundaries of existing institutions.” (N.Newman, “The rise of SM and its impact on mainstream journalism”)
Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition — whose members include Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Line and LinkedIn — said in a statement the key provisions of the draft rules ‘fall short of India’s legal precedents and laws around privacy and free speech.’
A study by the Pew Research Center found that 64 percent of Americans believe that social media platforms mostly have a negative effect on the way news is reported. Additionally, 56 percent of respondents believe that social media platforms are not effective at separating fact from fiction. These findings underscore the need for media organisations to take a more active role in countering hate speech and misinformation on social media platforms.[NEXT – Attitudes Toward Algorithmic News Selection]