How can we turn social media scrolling into purposeful engagement?
Let’s be honest: social media isn’t going anywhere. Whether it’s a 13-year-old checking their TikTok feed between classes (or even in the middle of class) or a high school student curating a carefully edited persona on Instagram, the digital world is woven into the fabric of students' daily lives. But as an educator, I can’t help but worry about what’s being lost in the infinite scrolling.
One concern I often see is that students use social media without ownership. Their posts mimic trends and their bios mirror influencers. When I ask students what they want to be when they grow up, one unexpected answer keeps surfacing: "I want to be famous." Rather than expressing authentic identity, students often perform a role that fits their desired online persona. This isn’t inherently bad as adolescents are supposed to explore identity. However, when their engagement is passive, driven by likes and loops instead of thought or creativity, we miss an opportunity for growth.
Then there’s the attention issue. Social media encourages quick reactions, not deep thinking. Content is made to be consumed fast, and often without reflection. I’ve noticed that my students can rattle off the latest viral sounds but struggle to stay focused on a task for more than a few minutes. Even I sometimes find myself scrolling quickly without giving videos a chance or reading captions. The rapid pace of online interaction is rewiring attention spans, and our classrooms are feeling the tension.
So how do we turn the tide?
Instead of banning social media or treating it like the villain of modern learning, we can reframe it as a tool to foster creativity, collaboration, and even critical thinking. One strategy I’ve used is having students create short-form content that connects to what they’re learning like a 'recipe reel' that breaks down a science experiment step-by-step, or a TikTok challenge where they rewrite and perform song lyrics to explain a scientific concept. Then, they're not just watching — they’re teaching. They’re curating content with a purpose, and that’s a big leap toward ownership.
I also talk openly with my students about digital identity. Who are you online? Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered (since it doesn't disappear)? What are you learning about yourself through your posts and interactions? These conversations help them shift from being users to reflective participants in their online spaces.
I continue to seek out new ways to reframe social media as a meaningful learning tool, transforming it from a distraction into a space for creativity, connection, and growth in the classroom.
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ReplyDeleteHi Nick,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such a thought-provoking post! I really resonated with your reflection on how social media use among students often shifts from authentic expression to passive engagement. Your point about students mimicking trends rather than exploring their own identities really made me pause and think about how this dynamic plays out not just in their personal lives, but also in their learning processes.
I especially appreciated how you reframed social media from being a distraction to becoming a tool for purposeful creativity and critical thinking. The idea of having students create short-form content related to their learning is brilliant — it aligns so well with constructivist approaches where students actively produce knowledge rather than just consume it.
Your post also made me reflect on my own habits with social media. Like you, I sometimes find myself scrolling mindlessly without engaging deeply, and it makes me wonder how we, as adult learners and educators, can model more reflective digital practices for our students.
Thanks again for sharing your insights!
You make a great point about youth's engagement with social media being passive. I would have thought by now that more of the youth would be actively creating by now (and maybe they are), but it sounds like how social media was when I was growing up (10-12 years ago). There will always be a silent, passive majority, it seems.
ReplyDeleteYour ideas of "recipe reels" and helping students reflect on their digital identities are great. They don't just build media literacy, they increase self awareness and agency. By continuing to do this, we can help everyone reclaim social media as a tool for intentional learning!