Social media in class: Problem or panacea?

The concept of social media can be summarised as applications accessed over the Internet that spotlight people’s list of connections and feature the ability to view and traverse the connections of others. Based on a conceptual model consisting of the intended curriculum (school level), implemented curriculum (teacher level), and attained curriculum (students at all educational levels), this chapter takes stock of research directions and available evidence of how social media can be used in class. It builds on a mapping review published in 2020, and adds updates from reviews and case studies published since. The results still give an ambiguous view on the effective use of social media in class. The barriers include teachers’ attitudes and competence, while positive effects include student engagement and increased interaction and communication. Although this review included studies on all subjects, the use of social media in writing and language courses appeared most convincing while, other domains, such as STEM or medical studies, showed less convincing outcomes, regarding pedagogical activities or learning results.