Abstract
Although literacy researchers have paid increasing attention to online information literacy, curricula are usually centered around webpages rather than social media, which is the more popular media platform for young adults. We developed and introduced a social media literacy curriculum to a summer bridge program for marginalized community college students. Our instruction was designed to center and build on students’ lived experiences, and we found that students purposes for using social media and their knowledge of credible sources was not aligned with traditional approaches to information literacy. Students perceived social media as a tool for fun and connectivity and their sharing practices were influenced by contextual factors, not the credibility of information. Although students expressed willingness to try new strategies to evaluate information, these strategies assumed an understanding of credibility and sourcing that not all students shared. We conclude with implications for future curricula and study
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Kohnen, A., Wusylko, C., & Sommer, M. (2023). Social media literacy: Sociocultural instruction and community college students. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 15(2), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2023-15-2-4
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