How Youths Consume and Produce Content on Social Media

What is it about?

The paper reviews recent literature about the Use of Social Media in the Participation Ecology, Content of the Posts, Motivating Factors and Perceptions, Social Media as a Place for Posting Stories, and Personal Digital Storytelling as an Educational Activity. The paper explains the Ethical Considerations, Context (Chile, Colombia, & Spain), Design of the Study (qualitative & interpretative), Sample (21 cases), Technique for Gathering and Analyzing Information (interviews & content analysis). The results show the Use of Networks, Content of the Posts, Motivating Factors and Perceptions, & Posting Habits. Finally, the paper discusses the Implications for the Field of Study, and Recommendations for Educational Practice, as well as Limitations and Further Research.

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Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The research presented here constitutes a first step towards understanding new textual forms, which are now widespread, in the light of a general framework regarding personal digital storytelling. The authors aim to obtain keys to integrating the informal digital practices of young people in formal educational contexts, thus exploiting the educational potential of personal digital storytelling. This paper is a novel contribution because the study has opted for a comprehensive-interpretative approach, different from the descriptive and quantitative reports of other papers. It has the aim of offering a more complete picture of the phenomenon and in order to contribute elements for educational praxis. It looks for a synergy between informal digital practices and the use of personal digital stories in the formal educational settings.

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