Who doesn’t like social media? Me.
However, due to the nature of my work, I have to use it. I can’t deny its benefits, when used correctly, it can be a great tool. More people are turning to such platforms for instant knowledge in language learning.
You see the rise of teachers using social media. Why? Besides having to diversify their teaching methods it’s where people are spending their time. There’s an interest.
I aim to provide a general overview and not try to pick a side. If you want official research, check this and this.
The idea of using social media for language learning is appealing. But how do you go about doing it? How do you measure its effectiveness? Which platform is the best?
Let’s get started!
Continuing with the above point, non-teachers are also posting such content—for example, a native of X is posting common words or phrases in his/her native language. The sheer volume of content can be a bit overwhelming.
When I read some of the comments users pointed out that such and such word isn’t exactly correct to use in X situations. It confuses learners (especially beginners) about which or who to believe. Just because you’re native doesn’t mean you know how to teach the language.
Unless you learn or study your own language, you won’t know. That’s why I only follow accounts made by teachers, even if they are only online-based. You can check their credibility by reading the testimonials.
Each platform has its respective strengths. Because of personal preferences, determining which is best will be difficult. Let’s list the popular platforms alphabetically.
This is the place if you’re into online socializing and finding your flocks. Find your targeted language pages and groups. For the latter, many learners will share their progress and ask language-learning or targeted language questions.
There are even groups for language exchange if you want to practice or improve your skills. Bear in mind that you need to do some filtering first. It can be difficult to find a very motivated exchange partner.
If you’re into visual-based posts (such as infographics) you will love this. Of course, there are short videos, stories and reels too. I enjoy using this platform so much that I made a page for it.
Do you like idioms? There are accounts full of them. They use short clips from series, movies, and interviews to make it enjoyable.
I’m clueless about this one but I know people are crazy about this portrait-like video platform. It’s where I came across an English learning video from Stage Door Johnny. Given that it’s the ‘home’ for many short video formats, creators must be creative to capture users' attention.
For people who relish bite-sized knowledge, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s where people enjoy updating their life status, every moment and whatnot. For language learning, you can find your community by using hashtags for example #langtwt.
This is best for language learning and education in general. Teachers can create detailed and long-form content without having to cut anything out to make it short.
People learn a language for a reason. It could be a hobby, job prospects, travelling, etc. Since there are varieties of content formats what’s left is to decide which area of language learning you want to improve and whether you want it short or long.
Examples of content out there are;
Platforms such as Instagram often have language challenges, such as creating a video of you doing pronunciation, tongue-twisters, or speaking the target language.
Knowing the culture is a bonus. I often see memes, slang you won’t find in textbooks, traditions or things (do’s and don’ts) you must know before visiting the country, etc.
Pronunciation is one of the hardest skills especially if it involves a tonal language. A guide teaches you the correct form so that it can be easily understood when you pronounce something.
Think of it like a hack or shortcut if you will. It covers anything from memorizing to pronunciation to vocabulary. Learning from tips given by fellow learners means you’re one step ahead of the others.
Sometimes, it’s not about studying hard but smart.
Social networks bring dynamic satisfaction to language learning. And when something does not seem like a laborious task, we tend to try a little harder while appearing to try a little less. - carlosveducation.es
I couldn’t have said it better. That’s what makes it interesting. Since we know it won’t take up much of our time and make us stressed, we want to do more. It’s micro for a reason.
You won’t have to worry about running out of content as there are vast of them. It can be accessed anytime, anywhere for free.
The beauty of having global users means more options to choose from in terms of accents and dialects. For example, Spanish. There are LATAM and Spain accents. You can practice with native speakers from all those countries.
Learners can get used to hearing how the language is spoken naturally from real-life scenarios. No more brain-freeze from hearing how fast natives speak.
It’s easy to get motivated by the engaging community as they encourage each other, especially with language challenges. They share best practices and mistakes they made from their learning journey, give advice, point out valuable resources, etc.
You can improve your writing skills by actively participating in the comment section. Many times, I often stumble upon at least one or two new vocabulary here.
These multiple formats of content have the potential to make a complex topic easier to tackle. The visual learning style helps a lot. There are short videos, polls, quizzes, etc.
On Facebook and Instagram, teachers sometimes conduct a live session. They can interact with students and learners and have a fun learning session.
A great way for lifelong learning after being done with school and university.
Easy to get distracted. Beware of the infinite scroll and the notifications because they can lead to distraction.
Having endless content doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing. Finding quality content and ensuring its authenticity is no easy task. You don’t want to land on content and follow it religiously only to find out the information is incorrect.
A few things you must know and do before going this route.
Think about which platform you want to use, what you use it for and how you go about doing it. For example, you want to use Instagram for learning idioms. Or use YouTube to learn grammar.
Next, set your schedule routine. Decide what day(s), at what time, time spend how many (strategy) and the tool(s) you need. This isn’t a set-and-forget. You’ll need to tweak things if the results aren’t what you expected.
For example, I will do it from Friday to Sunday, at 8 am, for thirty minutes. I will learn three idioms (I will do active recall throughout the day) and jot down notes on a tablet.
On Instagram, there’s a setting called Time management. You can set your daily time limit starting from a minimum of 15 minutes to 2 hours maximum. On YouTube, there’s a Remind me to take a break setting. The purpose is to remind you to stay on track.
To avoid getting distracted, if your goal is to solely learn idioms, just follow accounts with those themes. Don’t go overboard either. Follow maybe three or four accounts in the beginning. If you follow more, I guarantee you won’t be able to keep up.
I mean, learning three idioms a day from one account (or one idiom per account) doesn’t seem like a lot, but those will add up as time passes. You don’t want to end up with information overload.
Don’t just follow and absorb the information passively. Use that knowledge by actively engaging with the content. Drop a comment. Ask questions. Answer the quiz. Participate in polls and challenges.
Output. Output. Output.
Practicing is the key. Consuming social media content is just a microlearning so making it a habit won’t be demanding.
It’s essential to determine whether your initial plan yields fruitful results. If you don’t see any improvement, it’s a sign that something needs to be changed. Just because it’s a micro activity doesn’t mean you can ignore it.
You probably don’t need to be reminded of this but I’ll do it anyway. In each social media, there’s a very useful setting to save whatever you come across so you can revisit them later.
On Instagram, there’s a save icon on every post. By clicking it will go to your Saved page. You can even create a New Collection with everything you saved so they are in their respective groups making it easier to find.
On Facebook, it’s the same. On YouTube, it’s called Save to Playlist.
Language learning through social media is a subjective topic. The usefulness will depend on your plan and strategy. Without it is a recipe for disaster.
Don’t just dive in and expect to remember everything you see within a few minutes of scrolling because you’ll be disappointed. Knowing which platform you want to use, its pros and cons and how to execute it will make a difference.
Don’t be a silent user and observer. Engage with people and the content. It’s social media after all.
What language are you learning? What’s your go-to platform and accounts? Share with us below.
©2025 Together We Learn More
©2025 Together We Learn More