Social Media Platforms and Education

Abstract

What is the impact of social media on education and learning in schools? This very broad question has been addressed by academics from a variety of disciplines. In this chapter, we will first give an overview of the different ways in which this question has been tackled. Most scholars have studied the impact of social media as tools, assessing their immediate impact on learning. While some predict they may potentially revolutionize education, others see them as potential minefields. We want to introduce an approach to social media that does not just regard them as tools, but as platforms, driven by a complex interplay between technical architectures, business models, and mass user activity. These automated architectures, models, and activities introduce new mechanisms in social life. Beyond affecting student behaviour and teaching practices, they also impact the organization of schools and universities and, one might argue, (public) education as such. We will highlight two mechanisms that are increasingly relevant in online teaching environments: datafication and commodification. To illustrate our approach, we will first focus on primary education, then on higher education.

Keywords: social media, MOOCs, education, AltSchool, Coursera, university, datafication, commodification