A Decade of Social Media and Adult Learning

Social media has evolved into a powerful space for adult learning. Platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn are now filled with tutorials, hacks, and advice on everything from Microsoft Excel to career growth. However, what drives adults to learn in these spaces, and what might this look like in 2030? Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) explains much of this motivation. Social media supports autonomy by letting users choose what and when they learn. It fosters competence through quick wins, like mastering a tool after a short reel, and relatedness through interactive features such as comments and shares. Similarly, Expectancy-Value Theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) suggests adults are motivated when they expect success and see value in the learning, conditions that social media meets with ease and relevance. From my perspective, by 2030, AI tutors could guide personalized learning paths based on user interactions, while virtual reality might simulate real-world scenar...

This week’s question: What to assess/evaluate - process? Product? Both? Sparked a lot of personal reflection. As someone who has been both a student and an educator, I have seen how powerful it can be when students are seen not just for what they produce, but for how they got there. I once had a professor who invited us to co-evaluate our final grade. We were asked to complete a self-assessment form and explain how we engaged with the course: Did we do the weekly readings? Were there obstacles? Did we try, even when the results were not perfect? That experience reminded me that when done right, assessment is a conversation, not a verdict. Drawing from Paulo Freire’s (1996) philosophy, learning is a dialogic process. The same should be true of evaluation. And as Andrade (2010) and Wiggins (1998) suggest, assessments must not only certify knowledge but also support learning. When we look only at the final result, we might miss the perseverance, creativity, or deep thinking that happe...

Hi everyone, We often think of learning as something that happens in a classroom or through formal training, but sometimes, the most useful knowledge finds us when we just scroll through social media. Funny. That is precisely what happened to me. After taking a formal course to improve my Microsoft Office skills, including Word and Excel, I stumbled upon Instagram accounts that offered quick, practical tips on the same tools. Short videos, engaging visuals, and real-world examples helped me grasp tasks I had not learned in my traditional course. Suddenly, formulas in Excel made more sense. Word formatting tricks became second nature. And hacks were learned in seconds, which enabled me to get faster in my daily activities. It reminded me of how powerful informal learning can be. From my perspective, with its dynamic flow of content, social media makes knowledge feel like a river, smooth, accessible, and constantly moving. You learn at your own pace. You discover things that a rig...

Continuing with the topic that we started discussing yesterday, I have been thinking about who gets to lead, teach, and be heard in online learning communities. At first sight, social media gives the illusion of equal access, but when it comes to race and gender, I would say that the playing field is far from level. I have noticed that in many knowledge-sharing spaces, voices of color, especially women of color, are often underrepresented or overlooked. In a recent experience that I had, I noticed that posts from Black or Latinx professionals sometimes receive less engagement, or their expertise is questioned more readily than others. Meanwhile, white voices are more likely to be amplified, even when discussing the same topics. It is subtle, but persistent. It is also not just about followers or likes. It is about whose knowledge is validated, don’t you think? Algorithms shape what we see and often reflect offline biases. Safiya Noble (2018), for instance, calls this algorithmic op...

As someone invested in adult learning and community building, I have often found myself asking how we can innovate with technology and who is truly benefiting from it. When we celebrate the rise of online education, are we paying enough attention to who is being left out? The digital divide remains a persistent and troubling reality, especially for rural learners, older adults, and individuals from low-income backgrounds. It is not new that internet access is still a daily struggle for adults in rural areas. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one in four rural residents say high-speed internet is a significant issue in their community (Anderson, 2018). That means adult learners in these regions may face serious challenges in logging into a Zoom class, downloading materials, or participating in asynchronous discussions. The convenience of digital education does not apply when the basic infrastructure is missing. Older adults are also often excluded, less by lack of motivat...

Lately, I have gotten the impression that almost everything in education is getting shorter—videos, lessons, and even attention spans. Microlearning, or delivering content in small, easily digestible chunks, has become an increasingly popular strategy in corporate and academic settings. But as someone navigating both worlds (higher education and adult learning), I find myself wondering: Is microlearning really enough? Or are we sacrificing depth and equity for convenience? From my perspective, microlearning has its appeal. Nowadays, it can be incredibly helpful for learning on the go. Research does suggest that attention spans are shrinking—especially in digital environments—so offering content in short formats aligns well with current media consumption habits (Miller, 2021). Learners often feel less overwhelmed and more engaged when they can "snack" on knowledge during commutes or breaks. However, I would say that there is a difference between surface engagement and mean...