Between Help and Harm : Social Media as an Informal Way for Language Development
By Tasya Nabilla
Nowadays, social media has become a popular way to learn English. Many platforms such as Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, etc., provide opportunities to learn English through online interaction, short videos, and podcasts. In addition, it is more effective because it can be accessed anywhere and anytime.
Therefore, many people believe social media can help to improve English. Others said it has limited support for academic field and it may expose learner to incorrect grammar and unreliable information. That is why we believe that although social media can support language development, formal education is still needed to develop academic field and grammatical accuracy.
One of the benefits of social media is that it helps learners to watch English content in their daily lives. Since today’s content in social media is mostly in English, learners can naturally acquire lots of new vocabulary. For example, some people who often watch English beauty content on social media tend to use beauty terms such as “flawless”, “hydrating”, and “complexion” in their daily conversation. Therefore, social media can be used as an informal way to develop learners’ English.
In addition, social media can be called a flexible learning tool because it can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Unlike regular schools where people have to spare their time to attend classes, social media does not require specific time and location for learning.
For instance, people who are on the go can still learn English by watching short videos or listening to podcasts through social media platforms. In conclusion, the flexibility of social media allows learners to develop their english skills anytime and anywhere.
On the other hand, social media also has negative effects on language development. Several people may choose the wrong platforms for learning English, leading them to receive incorrect information. This situation commonly happens in our environment, causing learners to develop incorrect understanding of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. For example, beginner learners often rely on non-native content creators who speak English every day as their main source of learning.
Somehow, if those content creators always use wrong grammar or pronunciation, learners may follow those mistakes without realizing it. Overall, learners should be more careful while selecting learning platforms and sources to avoid misunderstandings and language errors.
In conclusion, social media is an interesting platform to learn new vocabulary because learners can access it from anywhere and use it in their lives. But it also has disadvantages like incorrect grammar or misleading word meaning from inaccurate information.
Therefore, learners should be careful in choosing the content they follow. Channels like “mmmEnglish” and “English with Lucy” are some of the reliable sources that can give helpful explanation for English learners. Overall, combining social media with formal education is good for improving English skill, social media offers learners to learn common words to use it in daily while formal learning provides structured language.
