"social media, a phrase that has become quotidian in our understandings of how people communicate, how information is exchanged, how knowledge is packaged, and how meanings are made and transformed about individuals and the world in which we live. Simply put, these media exist and thrive because of user interaction and collective participation"
(Vasudevan & Reilly, 2014, p. 455)
In the 21st century, people are members of a wealth of different communities, both online and in person. Society lives in a global community driven by technology and sharing, and thus, people are now able to communicate with communities of all types from all over the planet. Barton & Hamilton (2005) discuss how, “social practices differ greatly across …[a] diversity of contexts and social interactions (p. 8). Such structures have advanced based on space, time, technology and expectations. The emergence of multifaceted, intermingled human relations has also impacted literacy learning. Individuals interact in a diverse range of settings, impacting human relations and social exchange.
Technology is changing the nature of how information is shared. Gee (2009) suggests that “Prior to our current digital tools, it was hard to start and sustain a group. It usually required an institution... Today, with things like Flicker, My Space, Facebook, and digital devices like mobile phones, it is easier than ever to form and join groups.” (p. 12). Social networking is changing the way that people work, collaborate, and share information. Different social networks often have a level of literacy of their own. They are a tool for sharing information, videos, thoughts, crafts, views, photos, etc. Social networks also disseminate information with a multiliteracies approach through the fact that they, like literacy, are social. They use a variety of multimodal texts that members can actively engage with. When considering digital texts, Street et al. (2010) analyzes Facebook in order to “see a merging of materiality and modal compositions through photographs and signage, with communities, cultural practices, and everyday life through rituals such as adding comments to your wall space. Using cultural practices like uploading images to complement texts…[these] represent concrete examples of merging semiosis with social practice” (p. 2000). People are constantly involved in the literacy practice of sharing, collaborating, and disseminating information in a multitude of ways. Social networks bring communities closer to us, and assist us in learning, or gaining the necessary knowledge that can be used across many communities of practice (Gee, 2009). It is important to look at how these ideas are shared and in what format, which leads to research on identity studies to see how information is shared differently based on our sense of self. New Literacy Studies argues that one of the fundamental principles of learning is shared social experiences. To fully prepare students for “new capitalism” (Gee, 1999), educators and policy makers need to design, develop and implement structures that incorporate this sharing of information through social experiences. Through the use of overt instruction, situated practice, and critical framing, educators need to introduce, immerse, and let students design and create their own meaning, and be able to transfer that meaning to a variety of contexts. One of the best ways for students to interact in the 21st century and beyond is through social networking sites and applications. |