Social media in education is the use of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X for teaching, learning, and institutional communication. It generally covers two distinct things, and it helps to keep them separate.
The first is social media as a classroom tool: assignments, discussion prompts, livestreamed lectures, digital literacy lessons, and collaboration between students. The second is social media as an institutional channel: recruitment campaigns, campus alerts, alumni relations, and brand building.
Both matter because students are already there. Nine-in-ten U.S. teens say they use YouTube, with majorities also on TikTok and Instagram. Meeting students on the platforms they use daily is usually easier than pulling them somewhere else.
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Used well, social media can make classrooms more engaged and institutions more connected. The main benefits:
Social media increases student engagement by meeting learners on platforms they already use. Normally, when we discuss “engagement,” we’re referring to likes, comments, and shares on a social media post. However, “engagement” can have a double meaning when using social media in education.
Student engagement is key to a successful classroom. When students are engaged, curious, and social in class, it shows that you are succeeding as an educator.
Social media resources can help facilitate and encourage engagement with your students. When teens are spending 1 hour and 18 minutes per day on TikTok alone, bringing those platforms into the classroom helps you meet them where they already are rather than competing for their attention.
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