Informal Education and Digital Environments Among Youth from Indigenous Communities

Abstract

This paper describes some similarities and differences in interaction and the type of content published on two digital platforms (a Google+ virtual community and the social network Facebook) among young people from two indigenous communities in two regions of the state of Puebla (Mexico). The intention of the research was to explore the use of digital interactive technologies as part of informal learning processes. Data was collected through participant observation, both in person and online, and comparisons were made from digital content produced by indigenous youth. The results show some similarities to previous publications, highlighting, for example, the memories of the people or the oral or written use of indigenous languages, but also identify differences based on each region’s sociocultural resources. The study concludes that these digital platforms become informal learning spaces