Participation, Produsage, and Pedagogy: Social Media as a Tool to Enhance Teaching and Learning Experience

Abstract

The rise of the Internet and social media has brought about dynamic changes in reading and writing. Reading in the digital age is a communal, collaborative, and participatory activity. Axel Bruns conceptualizes such activities by the term ‘produsage,’ a combination of production and usage. The reader not only reads a text but also assumes the mantle of a producer by creating content on various digital platforms. This paper reflects on the impact of these changes within a literature classroom. Through ‘Wheels within Wheels: The Crucible on Twitter’ a collaborative project in which the students of literature reenacted Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible on Twitter, this paper explores the ways in which the new age participatory and collaborative reading can be harnessed as a pedagogical tool to enhance teaching and learning experience.