Social Media as Informal Learning Environments to Support School

• In Event: New Approaches to the Study of Learning Environments

Abstract

Social media is prevalent in teenagers’ lives. Despite the empirical attention to their harmful activities, teenagers also engage in productive activities like informal learning within these environments. While informal learning on social media tends to be interest or hobby-focused, teenagers also use these platforms to support their schoolwork. This presentation, a subset of a larger study on social media and informal learning, focuses on the implications of teenagers’ use of social media to support their formal learning needs.

Author

• Lauren Bagdy, University of Georgia