Teaching Social Media Literacy In High School

Technology has taken over so many aspects if not all. Although it has a few disadvantages, it has helped us in many ways. One of the greatest advantages of technology is social media platforms. Decades ago, social media platforms were primarily used for entertainment – a place where one could just come, chat, post pictures, and have fun. However, over the years, social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and others have proven to be important beyond entertainment. They have also helped with the creation of jobs. In my country, there are many first-class graduates out there, walking aimlessly with their CVs in hand. Similarly, we have many graduates and non-graduates who are making good money on the internet, thanks to these social media platforms.

Despite its widespread use, many people lack the basic understanding of social media etiquette. As long as you have a phone, a stable internet connection, and a social media platform, you are free to do almost everything you want without anyone stopping you. You'd be lucky if a few people correct you. Now, this begs the question; what would it be like if social media was added as a course to be studied in high schools? Just like mathematics and English, what if social media was made a subject where students are required to have notes, and teachers are required to teach like they’d take other subjects, diving into its complexities? Adding social media as a course in high school has so many advantages.

There's a popular phrase that has proven to be effective in many areas. Catch them young.” It means to train/teach or instill important values in people when they are young. When you “catch them young” when their brains are still fresh and accumulating, they tend to take the information and get better with it over time. One of the advantages of making social media a subject in high school is that students would learn how to navigate social media platforms effectively and responsibly. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to use a cell phone until I got to my senior year in high school. One night while everyone was asleep, I snuck into my dad’s room, took his phone, and created a Facebook account. Every night, I made that a habit until I finally mastered how to use Facebook.

It’d be great to teach students how to use social media effectively and responsibly. Nowadays, we see people, even the younger ones, posting content beyond their age on social media platforms. By adding social media to the subjects in high school, students can learn how to create content responsibly.

Another advantage of adding social media to the subjects in high school is that it’d teach students how to deal with online bullying and harassment. Similarly, it would teach them how to not be a perpetrator of these vices. Nowadays, the social media is not a safe place. It is crawling with predators and people who enjoy bullying. The social media realm is loaded with psychopaths who see nothing wrong in bullying people and seeing them hurt. One of the duties of teachers would be to educate them about how to avoid harassment and bullying, answering these questions; what should I do when someone bullies or harasses me online? How can I protect myself from harassment? What are some strategies for dealing with cyberbullying? How can I report online harassment or bullying? Should I take note of the evidence? These are important aspects that the teachers would be required to teach. Also, students would be taught how not to be perpetrators of harassment and bullying.

In my opinion, there are no downsides to adding social media as a subject in high school.

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