Original post by matthew turner on January 17, 2019
With all the discussion about the possible educational use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., I thought I would add one that is not monetized.
I recently read a book called Social Media: A Critical Introduction by Christian Fuchs (the author’s blog, with details about the book and additional information, can be found here: http://fuchs.uti.at/books/social-media-a-critical-introduction/), which applies a critical analysis to Internet media corporations like Facebook, Google, Twitter, et. al., analyzing their business models (the user is the product), and the fact that the users are generating the content (their identities and the posts they create, curate, and organize) from which the corporations extract profit. Obviously, concerns about privacy and personal data are a big concern as well; especially if we are asking students to utilize these programs.
However, there are options. There is a site called Diaspora: https://diasporafoundation.org/ that is decentralized, the software is free, users have control over their own data and privacy, and you can choose the host. It also supports cross-posting with other social media sites. Perhaps using resources like this (Fuchs makes some important points about Wikipedia as well) could add another dimension to the learning process: that mobile learning and e-learning can be more independent from the needs of capital.
There is a responsibility to educate students about social media. Whether they realize it or not, there are many conditions found in terms of use where the author releases ownership of any posted media. This organization’s website was mobile-friendly, and the free versions of the program were easily downloaded to my phone. With mobile culture constantly changing, people download apps to join their friends, and I can say that most of us are guilty of quickly scrolling through the massive terms of use files and finding the “accept” at the bottom. Teachers can attempt to integrate mobile technology into their classrooms and ask students to download apps without fully understanding what the corporations stand to gain by it. I think this topic should be included in the social media dialogue to help educate students about what is put out in the online world.
Hey Kristin, your comment reminds me of an episode from Planet Money, #976: Terms of Service. They share an interesting story about terms of service that makes you think about reading the fine print, could be interesting to use as an example with kids.
I am guilty of not reading the terms of service agreements and companies always have a check box or acknowledgement that you have read it and I always feel slight guilt for checking it without actually reading it knowing that they do it to cover their butts. Terms of service is a topic not often addressed in education and you have a point about not reading the fine print when we ask students to download apps. Teachers are also guilt of storing student data on servers that are not in Canada, something I don’t think about often enough and usually don’t have enough information on.