A Decade of Social Media and Adult Learning

I will be honest: TikTok has never appealed to me. I have always associated it with dance challenges, comedy skits, and teenagers lip-syncing to trending audio. As an adult, educator, and researcher, I never saw myself as the target audience. That is why, when this week’s topic brought up TikTok as a platform for adult learning, I paused to reflect: Am I missing something? The hashtag #LearnOnTikTok has amassed billions of views. In fact, TikTok officially launched the #LearnOnTikTok initiative in 2020, backed by a $50 million fund to support educational creators (TikTok Newsroom, 2020). However, this led me to wonder: Are adults really using TikTok to learn? A 2024 Pew Research Center study shows that 33% of U.S. adults aged 30 to 49 use TikTok. Among younger adults (ages 18–29), that number jumps to 62%. While it is clear that TikTok still skews young, one-third of adults in their 30s and 40s using the platform is not insignificant (Auxier et al., 2024). However, what does “learni...

  This week, I have been reflecting deeply on the concept of produsage in educational settings, especially as it applies to graduate-level learning environments. Axel Bruns (2008) defines produsage as a model where users collaboratively and continuously co-create content, eroding the traditional roles of “ producer ” and “ consumer. ” From my perspective, this model holds enormous potential for transformative learning, particularly in courses that aim to empower students as knowledge creators, not just passive recipients. When applied to education, especially via digital platforms, produsage invites students to contribute meaningfully to the learning process through autonomy, creativity, and peer interaction. On the other hand, the rigid design structures of some social media learning activities (SMLAs) can easily undermine this promise. As Zgheib and Dabbagh (2020) note, even when social media tools like blogs and wikis are used in classrooms, these tools' “ social ” aspec...

This week, we explored an increasingly relevant and complex issue in education: the evolving relationship between online learning technologies and student privacy. As outlined in Vanessa P. Dennen’s (2015) insightful article Technology Transience and Learner Data , today’s digital learning environment is anything but static. New tools, platforms, and features emerge constantly, each bringing fresh possibilities for learning and communication, but also new challenges in terms of privacy, security, and ethical data use. One of the key takeaways for me was the concept of technology transience—the idea that digital tools in education are continuously changing. This transience means that both instructors and students leave behind a growing amount of digital data as they interact in online learning environments. Some of this data is knowingly shared—like forum posts or uploaded assignments—but a significant portion remains hidden, such as back-end data logs that track every click and page ...

 Hi everyone! Today I brought something new. Are you a qualitative researcher? Have you ever thought about the process you take when coding, engaging with your participants, or thinking about the ways and level of agreement you may agree or not agree with your participants' perspectives? Well, today I would like to bring mine. As a Brazilian doctoral student studying in the United States, my research interest in how Brazilian graduate students experience and negotiate Latino identity within American higher education is deeply rooted in my experiences. I, also, have navigated institutional categorizations that define me as “Latino,” even when that label did not fully align with my cultural or personal sense of self. Like my participants, I applied for the LAC scholarship and went through similar internal questioning—do I identify as Latino, or am I being identified as such for institutional convenience? These shared experiences position me as an “insider” who can access nuanced pers...

  Hi everyone! Today, let's talk about Pinterest!   Is anyone here a user of Pinterest? Or have you ever consulted it to have some ideas? Well, when I want to buy something or create art, I consult Pinterest to get an idea of how to do it by myself. I would say that Pinterest has quietly become one of the most effective visual planning tools for learners pursuing project-based goals. Whether it’s a teacher preparing a thematic unit, an artist exploring new mediums, or someone navigating a career pivot, Pinterest offers an intuitive space to collect ideas, organize resources, and visualize project outcomes. This aligns naturally with the microlearning trends we have been exploring. If we stop to think, adults often bring clear intentions into learning, particularly when it is tied to real-world outcomes. Pinterest, in turn, accommodates this by offering a curated visual experience, allowing users to “pin” tutorials, articles, videos, and infographics into easily accessible ...

  As all of you are aware, this week in class, we explored the growing trend of microlearning—a learning strategy that delivers content in short, focused bursts designed to meet learners' needs in real time. I believe microlearning aligns well with today’s fast-paced digital environment, where attention spans are limited and time is a precious resource. From my perspective, it is clear how powerful this approach can be, especially when it comes to engaging adult learners who are balancing work, family responsibilities, and personal development. Well, in thinking about how microlearning shows up beyond formal educational spaces, one platform stands out to me: Instagram . With tools like Infographics, Reels, carousels, and Stories, Instagram has evolved into an unexpected hub for educational content. For adult learners, this kind of visual and mobile learning environment offers flexibility. Whether it’s a one-minute Reel explaining a career skill, an infographic summary of research...