Gab, Parler, and (Mis)educational Technologies: Reconsidering Informal Learning on Social Media Platforms

Abstract

"Alternative" social media platforms like Parler and Gab-on which hate speech and conspiracy theories often exist unchecked-present an opportunity for instructional designers and other education professionals to revisit assumptions about informal learning on social media. Employing a conceptual framework that distinguishes education from miseducation, we use these controversial platforms to argue that educators should more fully consider: 1) the miseducation happening in learning spaces, 2) how the design of educational technologies may amplify miseducation, and 3) the importance that formal education resist miseducation.