Session 3: The most popular social platforms in Higher Education

Introduction

As mentioned in the opening session to this course, there are many different websites and apps that come under the umbrella of social media. It is not possible to describe them all in detail here. In this session, you will be focused on the most popular social media networking websites, each with a proven record of engaging high numbers of students with their content or services.

The three that are, at the time of writing (2023), the most commonly used platforms are Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. There are many other apps available, but focusing on the most popular here will help you to see how you can get the most out of these apps in an educational setting. The approaches described here can be used on other platforms with minor modifications. You will also be briefly introduced to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and encourage you to explore these options in your own time.

Note that there is no obligation for you to use these sites, or any of the apps we explore - unless you want to - and not being a registered user on them will not stop you completing this course. However, it is likely that you will already be a user of one or more of these platforms, in which case you may well work through the material more quickly. The aim here is to provide you with a brief overview of the three sites and their advantages and disadvantages in Higher Education, as a foundation to allow you to make your own informed choices about how to use social media during your time in Higher Education.