Bildung through social media

In this article we argue that ‘the media situation’ of the digital age brings new possibilities of Bildung (i.e. emancipation and edification). Through comparing the situation ‘before’ and ‘after’ the internet, we detect a change in the communicative infrastructure of teaching. Before the internet we see teaching taking place in closed classrooms almost without interactional contact with the surrounding world. In this setting Bildung is mainly made possible through ‘internal interaction’ and representation of knowledge about the world. After computers, wireless networks and smartphones has entered the scene we see teaching taking place in communicatively open classrooms with possibilities of interactional contact with “outsiders.” In this setting Bildung is not only made possible through knowledge about the world, but also through internet-mediated interaction with others. Through an uncovering of these new possibilities we conclude that social media like Twitter can be used to support ‘interactional Bildung.’ Empirically, we base our argument on an action research project called ‘Socio Media Education.’ We carried out this project in a Danish upper secondary school class. An important element was that the class and its teachers had to use Twitter for written interaction in all subjects. Theoretically we base our argument on educational theory (Kant, Klafki, Biesta), medium theory (Eisenstein and others) and sociology (Luhmann and Goffman).

"We have argued that social media like Twitter can be used in education to create new possibilities of Bildung (understood as encouraging students to relate freely to the world and managing this freedom in good ways). We have also argued that the basic situation before the internet supported teaching understood as representing knowledge about the world limiting the scope of Bildung (especially limiting the existential dimension). Furthermore, we have argued that the situation after the internet brings new possibilities of creating democratic and polyphonic teaching, giving rise to teaching understood as interaction with others/otherness, giving more opportunities to actualise Bildung, outstandingly in the existential dimension of Bildung, but also concerning the student’s personal knowledge and attitude. Finally, we have emphasised the need for Digital Bildung helping students with understanding and coping with both dangers and new possibilities of a digital society" (p. 33)