A Tale of Two Social Medias

Ah, social media…

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of AI, it was the age of misinformation, it was the era of access, it was the era of isolation, it was the dawn of creativity, it was the rise of filters, it was the season of hashtag movements, it was the season of cancel culture, it was the spring of creativity, it was the winter of digital chaos, we had all knowledge at our fingertips, we had all distractions in our way, we were all seeking validation, we were all lost in the algorithm (a pastiche of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens).

Image generated with DeepAI’s text-to-image model.

From Web 1.0 to the Reels of Today

As one of Prensky’s so-called Xennial Digital Natives (now Digital Immigrants), I grew up between two worlds, an analog child and an HTML teen. My earliest memories of anything resembling today’s flashy social media world conjure pictures of questionable Web 1.0 chat forums, truly the Wild West of unseemly digital discourse. Next came MSN Messenger,  where – hilariously…embarrassingly – I must admit my husband first asked me out. A precursor to Tinder?

Undergrad university ushered in the era of “TheFacebook“…my never-ending pubcrawl photo albums and incessant updates are – as the youth say – cringe! No one needed to know it was snowing or that I bought a new pair of shoes. To recall the now archaic platform more fondly – long before its creator decided it needed a more masculine, uncensored vibe refresh – it was a scrapbook of unfiltered memories and inside jokes.

My relationship with social media has shifted as I age (and hopefully mature), with a noticeable contrast between pre and post-pandemic interactions. Snapchat became a source of filter hilarity with my kids and coworkers. TikTok dominated my attention during the pandemic before its questionable algorithm and the government’s data smear campaign scared me off. At the height of the pandemic, and while I was glued to a screen as an online teaching consultant, I completely withdrew from social media. The endless “isms” and “phobias” became too much for me. Even then, I realized stepping back was a privilege, one not afforded to many minoritized groups. Still digitally weary but recalibrated, I eventually returned online…more determined than ever to take up space, speak out against injustice, and teach my students to do the same.

A Tale of Two Social Medias

From an educator’s perspective, I view social media as a tool and trial. Mostly, I stay on these platforms to understand the world my students increasingly live in. For better or worse, social media is now their language and currency; knowing it helps me connect with them on two levels:

1. Current Events and Movements (the more noble of the two): Through platforms like TikTok, I’ve watched with my class as Chinese creators documented their COVID-19 quarantine experiences in real-time, long before alarms were raised closer to home. I’ve engaged in meaningful class discussions about Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and other pivotal movements, all digitally captured in a filtered yet uncensored world. With the spread of mis- and disinformation, AI and deepfakes, fact-checking has become a necessity in my educator arsenal, further arming my students with the tools needed to separate fact from online fiction.
2. Cultural Connection (less noble but certainly relational): Using Instagram and TikTok reels, and following educator influencers like @mr_phlindsay_sped and @gabedannenbring, I continually (sometimes painfully) immerse myself in Gen Alpha “Brainrot” – AKA: Oxford Dictionary’s triumphant Word of the Year 2024. Long before any of my students were incessantly chanting “Skibbidi Ohio Rizz” or “Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, bruuuuuuthar!” – I knew what was coming down the digital Saskie pipeline. I was prepared for them and all their confusing generational lingo. So when they called me “Sigma” or told me I had “max aura points,” I knew it wasn’t an insult, but when they commented on someone else’s “GYATT” I could call them out for being inappropriate. I even comically convinced my students that “feta” was something Gen Alpha influencers were saying, meaning “when things fall apart.” It actually became a part of their vernacular; hearing “FETA!” yelled on the basketball court was one of the highlights of my career! And while this all provides surefire staff room hilarity, my intentions remain honourable (mostly). I want to meet my students in their world, bridging the ever-growing generational gap between us. Long ago, my English Education professor told me that –  as educators – we must learn to code-switch. The ability to navigate between professional language and the informal vocabulary of students is a skill I value alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s not just about speaking their language; it’s about teaching them when and how to use it effectively and when to set it aside.
   

   Image borrowed from astrosafe.co. Take the Gen Z and Gen Alpha Lingo Quiz Here!

Final Thoughts: The Duality of Our Online World

Like it or not, social media is the language of our modern world, a lexicon capable of great harm but also one – when utilized correctly – that can provide connection, education, and activism. For me, it’s a space to “reel pebble” my loved ones and “revenge late night procrastinate” but also somewhere I can stay informed and advocate for change. As an educator, social media is an essential resource—a way to speak my students’ language while teaching them digital literacy.

With a rebranded twittersphere, hyper-masculine, unverified meta realities, and Oompa Loompa leaders – but also digital activism, connection, and humour – it truly is the worst and best of times in the social media realm. Good luck…or – as the youth say – go get that W!

POINTS TO PONDER

Thank you for reading my post. Please feel free to reflect on one or any of the questions below; or leave your own thoughts, insights, and feedback.

• In your career, how have you seen social media influence the mental health and self-esteem of your students? What role do you play or do you think educators should play in addressing this?
• In what ways can social media create positive student engagement? How do we navigate this potential with the current Saskatchewan cell phone ban policy?
• How do you navigate your own own social media presence, especially the contrast between personal and professional online spaces?