A critical review of the literature of social media’s affordances in the classroom

Even though the use of social media in education is a now widely-studied topic, there still does not seem to be a consensus for what social media may afford students or how best to use them in the classroom. In this critical review of current literature, I discuss some of the most prominent qualitative studies that explore the use of social media in the classroom. I consider some of the affordances that these scholars assert social media can offer in the classroom, in particular the affordances of authoring to a wider, interactive audience and potentials for improved learning and literacy practices. I then address contemporary scholars’ findings for incorporating social media into the classroom as well as the limitations for social media in education. I conclude with a discussion of potential steps for future research.