Learning on social media: Vernacular literacy and academic literacy in the digital production of school students

Abstract

Social media play a leading role in the daily lives of young people, especially such media where images are central. There has been a significant increase in the production and circulation of multimodal digital texts in current times. This article addresses the potential and complexity of digital production on Instagram from the perspective of learning and literacies. Based on ethnographic research in a public secondary school in Santiago, Chile, this paper presents the digital practices of eight young people. The materials analyzed come from interviews with young people, teachers, and mothers, in situ and digital ethnographic observations, and visual pieces produced by young people. The findings show different learning, the level of complexity of which is associated with the intensity of text production, and the orientation and motivation. Vernacular literacies are related to practical knowledge, where English, hashtags, images, and humor are significant in digital production. The findings also show some cases of production that transcend personal use with an expressive function, guided by strategic orientations of communication, politics, and education. For the latter, the interaction of academic and vernacular literacies is crucial. Finally, the paper identifies certain gaps in digital literacy, where the school could contribute.