State-of-the-Art report on studies of literacy and learning in and through social media

Joachim Vlieghe, Dr. Kris Rutten, Prof. Dr. Ronald Soetaert

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

Technological changes continue to increase intercultural contact.

Cause a shift from literacy (singular) to multiliteracies.

LITERACY

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

Language remains important for education, but…

CONSTRUCTIVIST TURNCulture and literacies as social constructions evolving over time.

COMMUNICATIVE TURNIncreased focus on functional literacies: situated symbol-use.

CULTURE

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

MULTILITERACIES PERSPECTIVE

Understanding that education and literacies are more than reproduction.

Literacies also empower people to negotiate and change meaning.

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

RESEARCHINGEMERING LITERACIES

Multiliteracies perspective focus on communities (of practice).

Emerging literacies imply emerging communities.

Broader focus needed: (affinity) spaces.

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

RESEARCHINGEMERING LITERACIES

Multiliteracies perspective focus on communities (of practice).

Emerging literacies imply emerging communities.

Broader focus needed: (affinity) spaces.

Focus on community formation through the strategical use of symbols (genres and repertoires)

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

RESEARCHINGEMERING LITERACIES

Multiliteracies perspective focus on communities (of practice).

Emerging literacies imply emerging communities.

Ethnographic methods for describing the new(gradually narrowing focus)

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

REFLECTION

Suggestion from digital ethnography: evaluating insights and methods

through comparison with other ethnographies.

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

FURTHER RESEARCH

Hypotheses: continued importance of language and literature

Selection cases: Changes in literary culture and the future of libraries?

CONCEPTS & THEORY METHODOLOGY EXAMPLES RESULTS &

DISCUSSION

FURTHER RESEARCH

Subcases:• Social reading• Curating collections in social media environments• Social media and the death of literary criticism• Social media and selfpublishing authors