How can we use social media to empower students for positive impacts in the community?

Social media can empower students in the same way it can negatively impact them. The first thing we need to build with our students on social media is digital citizenship and accountability. What they say online can impact the real world, and just because you are behind a screen does not mean you can do and say whatever you fancy. However, social media can be used to empower students and allow them to have positive impacts in the community.

Greehow & Gleason mention that with social media, students can inform and become informed on real-life situations (2012). Social media (paired with critical thinking of information found) can allow students to grow their global awareness and be able to share what they have learned. Access to information is one way that students can positively impact their community. Spreading information through social media can allow more people to have access to it, we just need to ensure that what information that is being spread is accurate and truthful. One way to teach our students is it ask them to “THINK” before they post.

Is it True?

Is it Helpful?

Is it Inspiring?

Is it Necessary?

Is it Kind?

They can then mobilize and start social protests using both the online and real world to start movements (Greehow & Gleason, 2012). Tagging, tweeting, hashtagging, sharing, reblogging, stitching, duetting, commenting, liking, and boosting the algorithm are all different ways that we can mobilize online and spread information to others so they can join social protests. This simply needs to be paired with critical thinking of what is being shared and how it is being shared through THINK-ing.

Greehow & Gleason (2012). Twitteracy: Tweeting as a New Literacy Practice