A Critical Review Of Research On Social Networking Sites In Language Teaching And Learning

CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, 2018, 9(3), 315-330
https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.444120
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A Critical Review of Research on Social Networking Sites in
Language Teaching and Learning
Osman Solmaz
Dicle University, Turkey
Received: 16.11.2017 Accepted: 19.06.2018 Published: 16.07.2018
Abstract
The current study aims to present a critical analysis of research on social networking sites
(SNSs) in second language teaching and learning (L2TL) context. Twenty-two studies
published from 2011 to 2017 were included in the analysis through the selection criteria
devised by the researcher. The descriptive analysis reveals that Facebook was the most
commonly explored medium, and more than half of the studies featured English language
learners in various levels. Following the content analysis of the studies, the emerging
aspects of the literature review are treated under five overarching themes: practicing
multiple language areas and literacies; authenticity and negotiation of meaning through
interaction; development of intercultural competence and socio-pragmatic awareness;
membership in L2 communities; and (re)construction of identities. Following an account of
pedagogical considerations such as the dynamics of classroom, technical features, and
various cultural uses of the SNSs, the study concludes with suggestions and directions for
future research in regards to the incorporation of SNSs such as Facebook and Twitter into
L2 classrooms.
Keywords: Social networking sites; Facebook; Twitter; Language teaching; Social media;
Language learning
Introduction
The emergence and sudden growth of Web 2.0 technologies captured the attention of second
language educators and applied linguists among many other professionals. Having played a
significant role in the transformation of earlier internet technologies to We . O ‘eill ,
2005), social networking phenomenon allowed internet users to extend their face-to-face
friendships to online spaces as well as forming new relationship through online social
interactions. The advent of these technologies in the broader context of web 2.0 has also
created a new mobile and multimodal social space for learners and educators. Given that the
biggest social networking site (SNS), Facebook, has about 2.2 billion monthly active users
(Facebook, 2018), and social media spans all ages and demographics (Pew Research Center,
2016), the ubiquity of social networking tools necessitate further analysis of their pedagogical
value and potential for second language teaching and learning (L2TL).
In previous research, some of the characteristics of SNSs have been praised and found to play
an important role in acquisition experiences of language learners. It was highlighted that SNSs
provided a virtual environment for the students outside of scheduled class time (e.g., Mills,
2011), and a positive, flexible, and non-threatening space for students to communicate and

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collaborate (Ota, 2011). Furthermore, it is stressed that learners are encouraged to express
their opinions more freely in online social spaces in comparison to their interactions in face-to-
face settings (Harting, 2017). A number of studies also indicated that SNSs created a virtual
extension of the face-to-face classroom setting. Mills (2011), for example, observed that such a
virtual environment opened up opportunities for learners to engage through exchange of
cultural multimedia, interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes within the social
context of their communities. By emphasizing the mobility of these spaces, this type of
classroom extension was considered a gathering place where students navigated and
interacted in an authentic environment.
Based on such findings, it might be argued that SNSs offer opportunities for learners to enrich
their language learning experiences by means of engaging in an informal exploration thanks to
the extension of formal lessons into an informal online environment. Moreover, they could
conceivably assist individuals with various personality types and learning preferences in
experiencing a relatively anxiety-free progression during their L2 learning process.
This study aims to systematically present a comprehensive picture of the research on social
networking sites within the context of L2TL. Particularly, the following research questions
related to the content of the early research guided the present study:
 What are the emerging themes and issues addressed in the previous scholarship of
SNS use in L2TL settings?
 What are the pedagogical considerations for SNS integration into L2TL?
Research Method
In order to be included in the present study, the articles had to fulfill the following selection
criteria which were devised for the literature review:
a) The focus of the research had to be on the use of global or local mainstream social
networking sites (SNSs) in the context of L2 teaching and learning.
b) Research had to be published in indexed and peer-reviewed international journals
between 2011 and 2017.
The first criterion was chosen to reach studies specifically dealing with SNSs, not social media,
which is often regarded as the umbrella term consisting technologies such as instant
messaging and social bookmarking. Therefore, studies featuring educational SNSs (e.g., Ning,
Edmodo) and/or SNSs developed for language learning (e.g., LiveMocha, Busuu) were excluded
from the analysis. In addition to the SNSs, certain studies, which used other web resources
(e.g., blogs, e-mails) as data sources as well, were also removed from the list of identified
articles during the early stages of the study. The second criterion was selected to access high
quality publications. Thus, publications such as book reviews and conference proceedings were
not included. Due to the scope of the review, theoretical papers and attitudinal studies were
excluded from the analysis as well.
To identify the research conforming to the selection criteria, a systematic search for relevant
scholarship was carried out in various databases including ERIC, JSTOR, Web of Science, DOAJ,
Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The following key words were searched: social networking

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sites AND la guage lear i g , so ial et orki g sites AND la guage tea hi g , so ial
et ork sites AND la guage lear i g , a d so ial et ork sites AND la guage tea hi g .
Since the term SNS is often interchangeably used with Social Media in the literature,
mainstream SNSs such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were also searched in combination
ith the ke ords la guage tea hi g a d la guage lear i g . After this process, the
references in the articles matching the criteria were investigated for the purpose of finding
additional publications through ancestry approach (See the References to for the list of
reviewed articles which are marked with asterisks).
Following the identification of the articles meeting the selection criteria, the previous research
was critically analyzed and evaluated by following a comprehensive descriptive approach
similar to that used by Hattem and Lomicka (2016). Later, the key themes emerging from the
analysis were carefully synthesized to provide an account of the pedagogical affordances,
concerns, and considerations of SNS use within L2 teaching and learning (L2TL) context. While
descriptive analysis was employed for the identification of research trends such as type of
SNSs, the context, the language(s), level of learners, and participant size, content analysis
(Glesne, 2010) was adopted for the classification of the research trends across studies.
Overall, the goal was to establish a comprehensive picture and identify common themes across
studies on the use of SNS for L2TL purposes and the ways educators can maximize the
potential of these interactive spaces in pedagogical contexts.
Results
In this section, theoretical and methodological trends across the studies are presented along
with descriptive statistics including type of SNSs, research sites, language(s) investigated, level
of participants, and participant size in the previous scholarship. The review reveals that the
studies are theoretically informed by a wide range of frameworks including B ra s Model of
Intercultural Communicative Competence (Jin, 2015; Ozdemir, 2017), Language Socialization
(Reinhardt & Zander, 2011), Community of Practice (Mills, 2011), Multiliteracies Approach
(Reinhardt & Ryu, 2013), and V gostk s )o e of Pro i al De elop e t Ota, ). The
majority of empirical studies in this particular field of research interpreted their data through
the lens of sociocultural and situated learning theories both of which emphasizes the
importance of social interaction.
The literature review also reveals that content analysis of the online interactions (e.g.,
discourse analysis, community of inquiry), interviews (e.g., semi-structured, formal group
interviews) surveys, think-aloud sessions, learner self-reports, learner log-sheets of the SNS
visits, classroom observation and monitoring, and social network analysis (SNA) are among the
some of the methodological/analytical approaches that were taken.
Of the 22 studies that met the selection criteria, an overwhelming majority (N=16) investigated
the use of Facebook for L2 teaching and/or learning (Table 1). It is followed by Twitter,
arguably the second most popular SNS in the world, which were used in five studies. Popular
local SNSs such as Russian VKontakte and Japanese Mixi were also examined in the previous
research. Other popular SNSs such as Instagram and Snapchat were not found in any of the
studies conforming to the selection criteria.

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Table 1. Type of SNSs (N = 23)
Type of SNS N Studies
Facebook 16
Blattner and Fiori (2011); Blattner and Lomicka (2012); Chen
(2013); DePew (2011); Dizon (2016); Harting (2017); Jin
(2015); Liu (2017); Mills (2011); Mitchell (2012); Ota (2011)*;
Ozdemir (2017); Reinhardt and Ryu (2013); Reinhardt and
Zander (2011); Schreiber (2015); Vikneswaran & Krish (2016)
Twitter 5
Fouz-Go zález ; Hattem (2014); Lomicka and Lord
(2012); Mompean, and Fouz- Go zález ; Solmaz (2017)
Local SNSs (VKontakte, Mixi) 2 Klimanova and Dembovskaya (2013); Ota (2011)*
* The study features multiple SNSs.
More than half of the research was conducted in the United States context (N=12), which is
respectively followed by Japan (N=2) and Spain (N=2). Certain studies featured multiple
research sites due to the telecollaborative nature of the pedagogical implementation. While
each of the countries such as Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Serbia, Taiwan, and Turkey were
represented once, two of the studies were not spatially-bound as they specifically targeted
online context and the medium (Table 2).
It was observed that English language (N=13) dominated the scholarship since more than half
of the studies investigated the use of SNSs in teaching English as a foreign/second language.
The studies also examined French (N=3) and Spanish (N=2) language learning, while Mandarin,
German, Russian, Japanese, and Korean learners were included as well (Table 3).
Table 2. The Context of the Studies (N = 24)
The Country N Studies
The United States 12
Blattner and Fiori (2011); Blattner and Lomicka (2012); Chen
(2013); DePew (2011); Hattem (2014); Jin (2015)*;
Klimanova and Dembovskaya (2013)*; Lomicka and Lord
(2012); Mills (2011); Mitchell (2012); Reinhardt and Ryu
(2013); Reinhardt and Zander (2011)
Japan 2 Dizon (2016); Harting (2017)
Spain 2
Fouz-Go zález ; Mompean, and Fouz- Go zález
(2016)
Other countries (Korea,
Russia, Taiwan, Turkey,
Serbia, Malaysia)
6
Jin (2015)*; Klimanova and Dembovskaya (2013)*; Liu
(2017); Ozdemir (2017); Schreiber (2015); Vikneswaran &
Krish (2016)
Non-geo-based (Web only) 2 Ota (2011); Solmaz (2017)
* The studies with multiple research sites.

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Table 3. Language(s) Investigated (N = 24)
Language N Studies
English 13
Chen (2013)*; DePew (2011); Dizon (2016); Fouz-Go zález
(2017); Hattem (2014); Jin (2015); Liu (2017); Mitchell
(2012) Mompean, and Fouz- Go zález ; Ozdemir
(2017); Reinhardt and Zander (2011); Schreiber (2015)*;
Vikneswaran & Krish (2016)
French 3
Blattner and Lomicka (2012); Lomicka and Lord (2012); Mills
(2011)
Spanish 2 Blattner and Fiori (2011); Solmaz (2017)
Other languages (Mandarin,
German, Russian, Japanese,
Korean, Serbian)
6
Chen (2013)*; Harting (2017); Klimanova and Dembovskaya
(2013); Ota (2011); Reinhardt and Ryu (2013); Schreiber
(2015)*
* These studies examine multiple languages.
There was a relative balance across the distribution of the studies according to the school
levels of the participants. Students with Elementary and Pre-Intermediate levels were included
in four studies, while participants with Advanced levels were also featured in four of the
analyzed studies. Six of the studies featured learners with multi-levels, and eight studies were
conducted at the Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels (Table 4). The sample size of
majority of these studies (N=13) was 15 or less, while six studies used sample sizes between
16-40, and three of them had 41 participants and more (Table 5).
Table 4. The School Levels of the Participants (N = 22)
Level N Studies
Elementary, Pre-
Intermediate (A1-A2*)
4
Harting (2017); Reinhardt and Ryu (2013); Solmaz (2017);
Vikneswaran & Krish (2016)
Intermediate, Upper-
Intermediate (B1-B2*)
8
Blattner and Fiori (2011); Blattner and Lomicka (2012);
Fouz-Go zález ; Jin (2015); Lomicka and Lord (2012);
Mills (2011); Mompean, and Fouz- Go zález ;
Reinhardt and Zander (2011)
Advanced (C1-C2*) 4
Chen (2013); Hattem (2014); Ozdemir (2017); Schreiber
(2015)
Multi-level 6
DePew (2011); Dizon (2016); Klimanova and Dembovskaya
(2013); Liu (2017); Mitchell (2012); Ota (2011)
* Corresponding levels in Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

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Table 5. Sample Sizes of Studies (N = 22)
Size N Studies
5 or less 5
Chen (2013); DePew (2011); Hattem (2014); Solmaz (2017);
Schreiber (2015)
6 - 15 8
Blattner and Fiori (2011); Harting (2017); Lomicka and Lord
(2012); Mitchell (2012); Ota (2011); Reinhardt and Ryu
(2013); Reinhardt and Zander (2011); Vikneswaran & Krish
(2016)
16 - 40 6
Blattner and Lomicka (2012); Dizon (2016); Liu (2017); Mills
(2011); Mompean, and Fouz- Go zález ; Ozdemir
(2017)
41 + 3
Fouz-Go zález ; Jin (2015); Klimanova and
Dembovskaya (2013)
Discussion
The analysis of the previous research yielded multiple categories surrounding L2 teaching and
learning process in SNS contexts. Following the re-examination of these categories, some of
them were classified into stand-alone themes since they were more prominent and included
sub-categories that were not recurring in multiple studies. Each of the following themes is
presented and discussed in the next section:
 Practicing multiple language areas and literacies
 Authenticity and negotiation of meaning through interaction
 The development of intercultural competence and socio-pragmatic awareness
 Membership in L2 communities
 (Re)construction of identities
Theme 1: Practicing Multiple Language Areas and Literacies
The value of SNSs as a general resource to create new avenues for practicing a multitude of
language areas and literacies is dominantly present in the literature. Presenting opportunities
for meaningfully embedded interaction with others, SNS use is viewed as a socio-literacy
practice (Reinhardt & Ryu, 2013), which entails the participation of individuals in their
respective communities through the demonstration of their language skills. The previous
research supports the idea that SNS use contributes to the development of language areas
both in general and the specific aspects. For example, multi-level ESOL students in Mitchell
(2012) reported improving their English ability through Facebook and the researcher noted
that this was as a result of the site giving learners a clear goal for their language use. While the
participants in this small-scale qualitative study joined Facebook for various reasons, the
medium assisted them in being exposed to target language content as well as in increasing
their input in English. DePew (2011) mentioned that developing writing skills of learners might
be connected with the fact that individuals are aware of real-world consequences of their
products (i.e., audience awareness). He further found that multilingual writers could respond
to communicative situations in rhetorically complex ways.

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The writing development of students through SNS use has been empirically investigated in
terms of lexical richness, writing fluency, and grammatical accuracy as well. Dizon (2016), for
instance, compared L2 English writing improvements of 30 EFL students by their writing with
paper-and-pencil (the control group) and Facebook (the experimental group). Although no
significant improvements regarding lexical richness and grammatical accuracy were present,
Japanese EFL learners in the experimental group were found to make meaningful progress on
each assessment test in terms of writing fluency while there was no significant improvements
in the control group. This finding conforms to the research conducted by Vikneswaran and
Krish (2016), who found that Facebook promoted writing fluency of Chinese ESL students
largely thanks to the contributions and discussions of ideas on the private group page.
However, the study also demonstrated that the participants experienced writing challenges
particularly in vocabulary and grammar. Similarly, Harting (2017) observed that pre-
intermediate German learners in Japan mostly relied on the speech acts and expressions
presented in pre-writing activities rather than incorporating the structures they encountered
while engaging in authentic interactions with L2 speakers.
Aside from writing literacies, a relatively new yet much-needed strand of SNS research has
emerged around improving listening skills of L2 learners through SNS use. To illustrate,
Mompean and Fouz-Go zález e a i ed the role of T itter o Spanish EFL stude ts
pronunciation skills and observed that sharing a number of tweets featuring pronunciation of
pre-sele ted ords had a e efi ial effe t o lear ers pro u iatio of the target ords.
Later, Fouz-Go zález further investigated pronunciation instruction on Twitter and
found results displaying significant improvements on the pronunciation of the target features
i the stud s e peri e tal group o pared to the o trol group. Both of the studies may help
pave the way for expanding this small strand of research in multiple contexts across various
learner groups and establishing new directions for other language areas and literacies such as
speaking and reading.
Theme 2: Authenticity and Negotiation of Meaning through Interaction
One of the reoccurring themes in social networking studies within L2TL context is centralized
around authenticity and interaction. SNSs were shown to create spaces for learners to be
exposed to authentic input in an informal context with opportunities for authentic output. It
was also reported that it afforded a rich environment for students to access native speakers
and target culture while having a chance of interactions for the negotiation of meaning.
A notable number of the research pointed out that SNS offered convenient possibilities for
learners to engage in, learn about, and make observations regarding the target language and
culture in SNS spaces. McBride (2009) accurately observed that learners could display more
authentic behaviors by means of social interaction with native speakers in these spaces, while
Ota (2011) expressed that content in SNSs consisted of real questions, requirements, and
comments from the members, thus generating more natural interaction in contrast to artificial
material in text books. In an empirical telecollaboration study designed by Jin (2015), Korean
EFL learners, whom have limited opportunities to have direct contact with the native speakers
and the target culture, successfully engaged in communication with the target language
speakers and demonstrated their intercultural competence in a purposefully created Facebook
space. Overall, it is argued that SNSs enable learners to have access to authentic input and
naturally flowing conversational speech by increasing the potential of students to take control
of their own learning and thus developing learner autonomy (Solmaz, 2017).

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The universality of SNSs also meant that language learners could easily contact with native
speakers (NSs) all over the world. This particular affordance of SNS was raised by a number of
scholars including Jin (2015) and Harting (2017), whose research illustrated that
communication with native speakers as a ia le optio regardless of stude ts geographi al
location. In a small case study by Hattem (2014), the evidence of negotiation of meaning was
found among three Intensive Academic English Program students who practiced their grammar
skills through frequent participation on Twitter. In a similar vein, Liu (2017) specifically
examined the negotiated interaction between non-native speakers of English and between
native and non-natives. The study revealed examples of negotiation for meaning among all
groups although it was reported that such instances were more likely to occur across non-
native speakers with high-proficiency level. Finally, Solmaz (2017) documented his
autonomous L2 learning experiences in a year-long auto-ethnographic study, in which he
concluded that effective use of hashtags in microblogging contexts like Twitter allowed L2
learners to reach target language users and engage in a meaningful interaction with them. In
regards to the target culture, it was acknowledged in the past research that SNSs enabled
learners to interact with, learn and observe the L2 culture (Mitchell, 2012), better comprehend
the interrelationship between language and culture (Lomicka & Lord, 2012), and develop their
intercultural understanding (Jin, 2015).
Theme 3: Development of Intercultural Competence and Socio-Pragmatic Awareness
Previous studies suggest that SNSs may play a role in assisting L2 learners in developing
intercultural competence and socio-pragmatic skills in socio-interactive online environments.
The presence and the multimodality of the various versions of target language elements in
these spaces might indeed prove to be beneficial for individuals to both increase their socio-
cultural and pragmatic awareness and facilitate their adjustment into the communities there.
In a recent stud , Ji e a i ed the role of Fa e ook for Korea EFL stude ts
intercultural learning through a telecollaboration project between U.S. and Korea. The findings
indicated that learners successfully demonstrated the components of intercultural
competence while participating in interactions with the target culture speakers. Even though
the study did not explore the experiences of American students, it provided valuable insights
into the ways SNSs can be used as mediums for telecollaboration projects. The function of
SNSs as spaces for intercultural instruction has been compared with traditional teaching
environment as well. In his recent research, Ozdemir (2017) analyzed how intercultural
instruction on Facebook and in face-to-face teaching context affe ted EFL lear ers
intercultural communicative effectiveness. Following a mixed-methods approach, he found
that the discussion on Facebook group was significantly more successful than the discussion
group in the class. This might confirm the idea that discussing with people of different cultures
on SNSs is more efficient on the intercultural understanding of learners compared to that of
the in-class discussions.
Another strand of the research is concentrated on the development of pragmatic skills, which
are considered fundamental to L2 development (Mills, 2011). Highlighting the value of
i di iduals engagement within L2 communities in socio-pragmatically appropriate ways for a
successful language learning experience, previous research approached SNSs as spaces where
pragmatic sources are accessible unlike textbooks which tend to include inauthentic language
samples and may not be the most reliable pragmatic resource (Blattner & Fiori, 2011). For
example, investigating Facebook Groups for learning Spanish, Blattner and Fiori (2011)

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observed that the language varieties displayed by group members exposed learners to
linguistic varieties. They suggested that Facebook could bridge the gap especially when
textbooks cannot meet the socio-pragmatic demands of learners. Supporting this idea, the
research showed that Facebook project enabled L2 learners to reconfigure standard
communication patterns in French (Mills, 2011), to effectively recognize similarities and
differences of a variety of speech acts in Spanish (Blattner & Fiori, 2011), and to have the
potential to promote individuals to develop noticing cultural and linguistic references (Solmaz,
2017).
In line with the findings above, the analysis of language used by forum and social members
enhanced socio-pragmatic awareness of French language learners (Blattner & Lomicka, 2012).
Pointing out the differences between standard writing contexts and unconventional sites like
SNSs, DePew (2011) praised SNSs for not imposing monolingual norms and structures unlike
the developmental-writing courses. Finally, Reinhardt and Ryu (2013) found evidence for
socio-pragmatic development of Korean L2 learners through the activities designed in
accordance with Bridging Activities Framework (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008). They concluded
that “N“s ould fu tio oth as are as for e perie i g the so io-pragmatics of language
firsthand, and as texts for analyzing the socio-grammatical instantiations of those uses p. 31).
Overall, it can be concluded that the integration of pre-planned and designed SNS-mediated
activities could positively contribute to intercultural and socio-pragmatic development of L2
learners.
Theme 4: Membership in L2 Communities
A high level of interaction in social networking spaces was naturally resulted in the exploration
of online communities in L2TL context. Given that being a member of a group has a meaningful
effect on the way relationships are established and maintained (Donath & Boyd, 2004),
researchers analyzed the dynamics of online L2 communities that were formed. It was
generally indicated that online communities positively contributed to the L2 learning and
teaching experiences (e.g., Lomicka & Lord, 2012; Mitchell, 2012). Investigating how Japanese
language learning groups on Facebook and Mixi, a Japanese SNS, provided a space for learners,
Ota (2011) noted that members primarily used SNSs to post event information, ask about
schedules of other members, comment about events, and share event pictures and videos.
Similarly, multimodal elements played a role in information exchange of members in
Klimanova and De o ska a s stud of vKontake as well. The researchers observed
that digital artifacts such as photos, video posts, layout designs, and music preferences were
consciously and strategically selected. They also identified that the language of emoticons and
punctuation signs were some of the sources of social information among the members of
telecollaboration group. This finding was also present in the research conducted by Reinhardt
and Ryu (2013), who observed that learners used Korean emoticons especially when honorifics
would have been more appropriate, which signified that Korean learners were aware of the
affordances of the medium (i.e., Facebook).
With respect to community building and maintenance in social networking environments, it
was emphasized that the nature of SNSs was often rooted in community formation and
maintenance, thus affording constructive pedagogical experiences without being concerned
about privacy and safety thanks to applications such as Groups on Facebook (Blattner & Fiori,
2011). Twitter was also found to facilitate community building and the development of a sense
of trust in an interactive way (Lomicka & Lord, 2012). Collaboration in SNS also enabled

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learners to foster relationships with other community members leading to a positive classroom
climate (Harting, 2017), and to express themselves in new and different ways and to have an
opportunity for membership in the L2 community (Solmaz, 2017). Finally, in a case study by
Hattem (2014), three Intensive Academic English students formed and maintained their own
community through language play in frequent interactions with one another. The study
demonstrated that community construction in SNSs extended opportunities for learners to
take risks, increase motivation, and finally established an affinity space cultivating a sense of
belonging.
Theme 5: (Re)Construction of Identities
Communications and performances of language learners in semiotically-mediated online
spaces leading to construction of complex and dynamic identities merit a special attention.
Identity performance and self-presentation are often experienced in SNSs mostly because such
virtual worlds enable learners to experiment with multiple identities more safely as they do
not occur in a monolithic real world (McBride, 2009). Interaction practices of learners sustain
the process of adopting new, dynamic, and shifting identities through language for them (Mills,
2011). Going beyond whether identities can be constructed in SNS, the research (e.g., Chen,
2013; Klimanova & Dembovskaya, 2013) often deals with the function of social networking
spaces in the (re)construction of learner identities, how identities are transformed in these
sites, and what kind of pedagogical potential they hold for L2TL context.
The investigation of the question how SNSs provided an environment for the construction of
dynamic language learner identities revealed that social, technical and multimodal
characteristics of these spaces were effective. It was constantly reported that identities were
established mainly through the communication taking place on personal profiles (Reinhardt &
Zander, 2011). Profile pages are generally considered ideal places for identity performances
because users can manipulate and design their profiles. Indeed, it was shown in the previous
works that the profiles were often manipulated and/or designed with semiotic resources
including texts, photos, videos, hyperlinks, and linguistic elements (Chen, 2013). For instance,
learners sometimes harnessed their multilingual repertoire while presenting themselves to
different audiences (DePew, 2011), while other individuals such as Aleksandr preferred to
achieve that richness through the assistance of multimodality and translingualism (i.e., not
necessarily tying his linguistic identities to individual languages).
It was also revealed that the identity (re)construction was a dynamic process which featured
multiple and developmental identities being formed by multilingual writers (Schreiber, 2015).
To illustrate, Aleksandr in Schreiber (2015), indexed himself as a member of a global hip-hop
community while displaying performances that project his local identity in Serbian context.
However, as mentioned by Reinhardt and Zander (2011), SNSs allowed L2 learners abroad to
develop new identities and integrate them with the old ones yet some students could find
such new identities unsettling and against their home discourses. The function of participation
in local and global networks while managing an impression in these spaces is a key factor to
take into account as well. Analyzing the dis ursi e esta lish e t of ‘ussia lear ers o li e
identities, Klimanova and Dembovskaya (2013) observed that learners redefined their
identities by contesting presuppositions or developed further attributes throughout the
conversation with project partners. Na i g the L speaker ide tit as a d a i ide tit -in-
the- aki g p. , the sho ed the e a ples of ho stude ts lear ed to lai a d
withdraw their identities while engaging in conversation with fellow community members.

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To recapitulate, it is concluded that SNSs created a hybrid space for learners where they could
both navigate through a multicultural environment and (re)construct identities while
interacting with other members of community in semiotically rich social networking activities.
Developing these types of resources and integrating them into L2 classrooms could very well
maximize the affordances of SNSs.
Overall, this particular review of literature treated emerging aspects of the literature under
major themes including language development, negotiation of meaning, community
formation, intercultural competence, socio-pragmatic awareness, and identity construction, all
of which presented various affordances for incorporation of SNSs in L2TL contexts. (See Table 6
below for the highlighted affordances discussed in this review).
Table 6. Highlighted Affordances for Each Theme Emerging from the Literature Review
Theme Highlighted Affordances
Practicing Multiple
Language Areas and
Literacies
 Contribution to developing language skills and literacies
 Learners being more aware of real-world consequences of their works
 An environment to practice multiple language areas (mainly writing,
reading, and pronunciation)
 Potential improvement in certain areas such as pronunciation
 Increase in the amount and frequency of production and reception of
target language
Authenticity and
Negotiation of Meaning
through Interaction
 An interactive environment to access native speakers and target
culture
 A space to be exposed to authentic input in an informal context
 Opportunities for interactions for the negotiation of meaning with
target language users
 A better comprehension of the interrelationship between L2 and
target culture
Development of
Intercultural
Competence and Socio-
Pragmatic Awareness
 Learners being exposed to various linguistic varieties
 Opportunities to reconfigure standard and non-standard
communication patterns
 Recognition of similarities and differences of speech/writing styles
 Development in noticing cultural and linguistic references
 Increase in socio-pragmatic awareness
 Monolingual norms and structures not being imposed on individuals
Membership in L2
Communities
 Cultivation of a sense of trust and belonging in a learning community
 Facilitation of community building in an interactive way
 Opportunities for collaborative learning
 Displaying membership through digital multimodal artifacts (e.g.,
photos, videos, designs of the profiles)
 An interactive space for back-channeling (i.e., constantly being in touch
for posts and class-related information, announcements, events etc.)
(Re)Construction of
Identities
 Assisting learners in the process of adopting new, dynamic, and
shifting identities through language
 Establishment and projection of identities through profiles and
semiotic resources including texts, photos, videos, and hyperlinks
 Formation of multiple and development identities by multilingual
individuals
 The use of multilingual repertoires to present oneself to multiple
audiences in online social networks

326
Concerns and Pedagogical Considerations
As one of the goals of the present study is to provide an account to bridge a potential
disconnection between research and practice, the ways L2 educators can maximize the
affordances of SNS use and minimize the concerns raised by the literature are discussed in this
section.
Given that research indicates the potential contribution of SNSs to the development of
lear ers so io-pragmatic awareness and competence, it is important that L2 educators
harness this particular aspect of SNS by introducing culture-specific conversations and
discourse styles and raise awareness both in the sense of socio-pragmatic competence and
SNS use. One way for learners to accomplish that is to include less formal variants of
grammatical and lexical information to develop both socio-pragmatic and genre awareness
(Blattner & Lomicka, 2012). In terms of practicing sociolinguistic competence and developing
SNS awareness, teachers can make use of the utterances from authentic discourses and
discuss them in classroom setting. Bridging Activities Framework (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008)
may be exploited for a more systematic approach to benefit from the online resources as it
legitimizes and values the use of vernacular language present in online settings like SNS as L2
learning resource (Reinhardt & Ryu, 2013). According to the framework, analysis of student-
selected or student- reated situated te ts a o pa ied the edu ator s guida e pla a
major role in the development of both socio-pragmatic and SNS use awareness. Hence,
bridging activities can assist L2 educators for maximizing the pedagogical affordances of socio-
interactive mediated online environments.
Commercialization of technology-driven language learning software programs can impress
consumers irrespective of its theoretical base and content. Kern, Ware, and Warschauer (2008)
warned that educators should be critical consumers while learners need to become critical
evaluators of sources. Teachers should help learners to become more critical in their use of
such technologies including SNS. This is one of the responsibilities of L2 educators who should
incorporate new media literacies into the classroom by considering the needs and interests of
learners.
Another issue that has to be taken into account is the culture of use (Thorne, 2003), the way a
particular technology is adopted and used in a group, geographical area, or country. Due to
the ulture of use , the integration of a SNS into an L2 classroom requires a careful
understanding of the culture of the use in L2 communities especially if learners are expected
to interact with native speakers. Furthermore, students might not be enthusiastic enough
about SNS-mediated environment if it is unfamiliar to them or no training of SNS use is
provided (McBride, 2009).
The personality of the students, technical features of the medium, and classroom dynamics
also need to be considered for selecting a social networking environment for pedagogical
purposes. While L2 educator needs to be familiar with interests and potential attitudes of
learners, teachers should also be aware of the differences in being a teacher in a physical
context to being a member on the site under equal terms. McBride (2009) warned that
relationships among students could affect the outcome and it may even feel forced and false
especially in cases when some students may not want to be ea h other s frie ds. I ter s of
the technical aspects, it is suggested that particular features of the medium (e.g., video call)
should be carefully taken into account during the design process of activities as the level of

327
learners could affect their participation in various activities. Finally it is recommended that
students are not required to share their real ide tities as the a feel for ed, thus egati g
any motivational benefits that bridging authentic everyday use into the classroom might bring
(Reinhardt & Zander, 2011, p. 333). Despite of all the affordances of SNS, it is recommended
that the pedagogy itself rather than the technological medium should empower the language
learning activities.
Recommendations for Future Research
Informed by the recent literature on the examination of SNS use in L2TL context, a number of
recommendations is made in order to fill some of the gaps or contribute to the ongoing
academic conversation in this growing scholarship.
Given that the devoted time to the examination of SNS phenomenon in L2TL has been limited
to one academic semester or often less, longitudinal studies need to be conducted to have a
relatively broader picture. Since it was reported that initial motivation gradually declined
throughout the learning processes, similar research could examine to what extent novelty of
the medium itself and the SNS activities might affect this process. In regards to theoretical and
methodological directions, it can be suggested that socioculturally-oriented frameworks such
as Language Socialization and Community of Practice are likely to continue guiding the
research in combination with alternative methodologies including diary studies, online
ethnographic field work, and social network analysis. Existing scholarship of telecollaboration
in broader context of computer-mediated communications (CMC) could also inform similar
studies within a SNS environment.
Pedagogical and technical usability of SNSs could be investigated in educational contexts, or
future research may be concentrated on one particular element of the site as in Zourou and
Loiseau s ork. U dere plored areas su h as lear ers o li e litera pra ti es,
speaking and listening skills, assessment and evaluation also deserve more attention. The
investigation of multiple identities in informal online study space as part of a classroom should
also greatly inform the identity research in online contexts. As suggested by Harting (2017), the
role of stude ts perso al a d tea her-assigned SNS interactions on their L2 learning needs to
be further investigated as well. Finally, less commonly taught languages, local SNSs, under-
explored SNSs such as Instagram and Snapchat as well as specific features of SNSs such as
hashtags, `stories` are among the areas which are to be empirically examined in detail.
Concluding Remarks
The present study investigated the pedagogical affordances and considerations of Social
Networking Sites (SNSs) in second language learning and teaching (L2TL) context. The first
research questions was about the themes and issues addressed in the previous scholarship.
The research showed that mobility, multimodality, and sociality of these sites afforded an
authentic space where learners could negotiate meaning through interaction, practice various
language skills, become content creators, develop their intercultural understanding and socio-
pragmatic awareness, socialize into L2 communities, and construct multiple dynamic identities.
For the second research question regarding the pedagogical considerations for integrating
SNSs into L2TLs, it is suggested that language educators create pedagogically appropriate ways
after considering a multitude of issues such as technical features of the medium, `culture of

328
use`, and classroom dynamics. Overall, it is concluded that SNSs indeed hold great potential for
L2TL and further research should be conducted for further understanding of the phenomenon.
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Correspondence: Osman Solmaz, Ph.D., Instructor, Department of Foreign Languages, Ziya
Gokalp Faculty of Education, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

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