Social Media in the Library

 

Teens and Digital Spaces

Teen's today are constantly on their phones and using some type of social media. According to Pew's research article, the majority of teens are using YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Teens are steering away from Facebook and X (formally Twitter) and my guess for this is because their parents are using these platforms. Pew's Research article also pointed out that teens are on these platforms frequently throughout the day including, "a third of teens use at least one of these five sites almost constantly" (2023).

Social Media and the Librarian

A few years ago, the school district and elementary school I worked for strongly encouraged staff members to make daily posts on Twitter to highlight events and lessons in our classrooms. Being new the platform, I found the task frustrating and time consuming. I was always leaving off people I was supposed to be tagging to get credit for the posts and never could make my posts shorter than the 280 character limits without giving up. Since I rarely got feedback and lacked personal motivation to continue making posts, I quit it. On the other hand, Facebook is a platform I am much more familiar with and can easily complete posts quickly. 

The use of social media as an information professional can be a valuable tool when it comes to advertising events in the library, showcasing student work, and presenting lessons for my students' families. I would probably use Facebook simply because I am the most familiar with it and I feel it is mostly used by the audience I would be targeting. I may take another try with X but I am not feeling too optimistic with that platform. I would also want to create a separate account for any platform I choose to use.

After listening to Nikki Robertson's podcast (Davis, 2018), I can completely understand her advice of getting in touch with your people through hashtags and make meaningful connections. In the podcast, she mentioned her personal story of how she was burned out as a teacher and was able to make connections which helped her dig herself out the rut. Being in communication with others in your field can help foster collaboration and creativity while also providing the opportunity for teachers to help pull each other out of their monotonous ruts. I will look into finding "my" people on X in hopes of reviving my passion in the classroom.

My district and school social media policy includes not using any platform while at school, using posts as extensions of the classroom or office, and not violating any copyright or intellectual property laws. Additionally, posts should build community, be positive, truthful, and inspiring. A final statement encouraged common sense when making or responding to posts.




Davis, V. (2018, August 21). 5 ideas to tap social media to enhance learning. Cool Cat Teacher Blog. https://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2018/08/5-ideas-to-tap-social-media-to-enhance.html

Vogels, E., & Gelles-Watnick, R. (2023, December 11). Teens, social media and technology 2023. Pew Research Center