Facebook isn’t the same as other SN’s

We have had quite a bit of discussion in EME 6414 about using social media for education and training.

As mentioned in one of our readings this week, Identity, context collapse, and Facebook use in higher education: putting presence and privacy at odds (Dennen & Burner), one big issue with using FB in educational or training settings is the single-sign on account policy.  A major concern is  the disclosure of personal information on the site. Can we ask learners to use something for a class that puts their personal information on the Web? Because FB doesn’t allow for anonymous accounts that can be utilized for education, a personal account then becomes blended with educational activities.

I think this is an issue. Personally, I wouldn’t use my FB account for educational activities. In fact, it is the only social media platform that I use for any personal posts and/or connections. The limitations in privacy make the tool less desirable for multiple uses that cross a users networks and communities.

 

Reference

Dennen, V. P., & Burner, K. J. (2017). Identity, context collapse, and Facebook use in higher education: putting presence and privacy at odds. Distance Education, 1-20.