Social Media and Artificial Intelligence: Critical Conversations and Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract

Prior to and during the pandemic, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook emerged as dynamic online spaces for diverse communities facilitating engagement and learning. The authors of this article have explored the use of social media with a focus on Twitter for engagement and student-centered design of online courses in higher education. As with all technology, social media is also riddled with complex issues and unfortunately, is increasingly considered unsafe. Students have often been hesitant in their use of social media, especially for coursework and unfortunately, this hesitation has only worsened. Considering this and recent developments, social media has become a questionable tool for use in education, yet remains integral to the lives of many, both personally and professionally. The emergence and popularity of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Lensa AI, and Canva Magic Write present new challenges and opportunities and cannot be avoided by the educational communities. Is there hope for social media and AI tools during these uncertain times? Through the combination of a current literature review and qualitative collaborative autoethnographic research, the authors take a step back and engage in critical conversations about what we have learned from our uses of social media for engagement and learning in our online courses, with a focus on (1) the intentional uses of social media, (2) the challenges and concerning issues of social media tools, and (3) exploring the implications of artificial intelligence. Centering on the theme of “hope,” the authors navigate these educational and technological landscapes and answer the question “where do we go from here?” The authors are faculty at a southwest border university teaching preservice and in-service teachers alongside those who want to learn more about education and design with learning technologies. Their voices represent faculty, teachers, and students who are engaging with and immediately impacted by the challenges and opportunities of rapidly advancing technologies.