Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2025 Open Access

Designing Social Media Learning Environments to Promote Digital Literacy

Jacob D. Richter George Washington University

Abstract

This article considers how learning environment design can help TPC instructors using social media tools in their courses to better support students' practicing of digital literacy. Based on findings from an IRB-approved qualitative study of a social media pedagogy that makes use of the platform Slack, this article contributes insight into how learning environment design in social media learning communities can assist instructors hoping to support their students as they practice digital and social media literacy activities.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2025-09-01
DOI
10.1145/3772174.3772177
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
writing pedagogy qualitative research digital rhetoric social media literacy studies
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (61) · 28 in this index

  1. Alexander (2013)
    The Usability of Print and Online Video Instructions
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Amicucci (2017)
    Rhetorical Choices in Facebook Discourse: Constructing Voice and Persona
    Computers and Composition
  3. Amicucci (2020)
    Experimenting with Writing Identities on Facebook through Intertextuality and I…
    Computers and Composition
  4. Buck (2012)
    Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites
    Research in the Teaching of English
  5. Buck A. M. (2023)
    Writing on the social network: Digital literacy practices in social media's first decade
Show all 61 →
  1. Bridgeford T. (2020)
    Teaching content management in technical and professional communication
     ↗
  2. Brumberger E. (2015)
    The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings
    Technical Communication
  3. Charmaz K. (2014)
    Constructing grounded theory
  4. Coad D. T. (2013)
    Developing critical literacy and critical thinking through Facebook. Kairos: A Journal of…
  5. Conference on College Composition and Communication. (2018)
    CCCC guidelines for the ethical conduct of research in composition studies. CCCC. https:/…
  6. Conner et al. (2021)
    Using Networked Technologies to Connect Composition Studies’ Stakeholders
    Computers and Composition
  7. 10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001
     ↗
  8. Daer A. R. (2014)
    Teaching and learning with social media: Tools, cultures, and best practices
    Programmatic Perspectives
  9. Day et al. (2010)
    Letter from the Guest Editors
    Computers and Composition
  10. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199589074.013.0008
     ↗
  11. Eyman D. (2015)
    Digital rhetoric: Theory, method, practice
  12. Frith J. (2014)
    Forum moderation as technical communication: The social web and employment opportunities …
    Technical Communication
  13. 10.7330/9781607329749
     ↗
  14. Gallagher (2015)
    Five Strategies Internet Writers Use to “Continue the Conversation”
    Written Communication
  15. Gallagher J. R. (2018)
    G. Y. Agboka & N
  16. Getto G. (2020)
    Content strategy in technical communication
  17. 10.55177/tc227091
     ↗
  18. Glaser B. G. (1967)
    The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Pub
  19. Gonzales L. (2018)
    Sites of translation: What multilinguals can teach us about digital writing and rhetoric
  20. Graham (2021)
    Misinformation Inoculation and Literacy Support Tweetorials on COVID-19
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  21. Johnson et al. (2022)
    Embracing discord? The rhetorical consequences of gaming platforms as classrooms
    Computers and Composition
  22. Johnson-Eilola et al. (1996)
    Policing ourselves: Defining the boundaries of appropriate discussion in online…
    Computers and Composition
  23. Khan M. N. (2021)
    Social media for knowledge acquisition and dissemination: The impact of the COVID-19 pand…
    Frontiers in Psychology  ↗
  24. Koerber (2021)
    Is It Fake News or Is It Open Science? Science Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  25. Kole de Peralta K. (2018)
    Four reasons Slack will change how you teach
  26. Lauer et al. (2019)
    Redefining Writing for the Responsive Workplace
    College Composition and Communication
  27. Lindgren (2021)
    Facts Upon Delivery: What Is Rhetorical About Visualized Models?
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  28. 10.1080/03075070120099359
     ↗
  29. Maraj L. M. (2020)
    Black or right: Anti/racist campus rhetorics
     ↗
  30. Maranto et al. (2010)
    Paradox and Promise: MySpace, Facebook, and the Sociopolitics of Social Network…
    Computers and Composition
  31. Mina L. W. (2017)
    Douglas Walls & Stephanie Vie (Eds.), Social writing/social media: Publics, presentations…
  32. Mogull S. A. (2021)
    Developing technical videos: Genres (or "templates") for video planning, Storyboarding, s…
    Technical Communication
  33. Morain et al. (2012)
    YouTutorial: A Framework for Assessing Instructional Online Video
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  34. Moore et al. (2016)
    Revisualizing Composition: How First-Year Writers Use Composing Technologies
    Computers and Composition
  35. Palmeri J. (2012)
    Remixing composition: A history of multimodal writing pedagogy
  36. Pflugfelder (2017)
    Reddit’s “Explain Like I’m Five”: Technical Descriptions in the Wild
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  37. 10.4324/9780203366905
     ↗
  38. Reyman J. (2020)
    Digital ethics: Rhetoric and responsibility in online aggression
  39. Richter (2023)
    Network-Emergent Rhetorical Invention
    Computers and Composition
  40. Robinson et al. (2019)
    State of the Field: Teaching with Digital Tools in the Writing and Communicatio…
    Computers and Composition
  41. Rodrigo et al. (2017)
    Managing Digital Technologies in Writing Programs: Writing Program Technologist…
    Computers and Composition
  42. Sackey et al. (2015)
    Constructing learning spaces: What we can learn from studies of informal learni…
    Computers and Composition
  43. Sano-Franchini et al. (2023)
    Slack, Social Justice, and Online Technical Communication Pedagogy
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  44. Selber S. (2004)
    Multiliteracies for a digital age
  45. Shipka J. (2011)
    Toward a composition made whole
     ↗
  46. Shepherd (2018)
    Digital Writing, Multimodality, and Learning Transfer: Crafting Connections bet…
    Computers and Composition
  47. Spilka R. (2010)
    Digital literacy for technical communication: 21st century theory and practice
  48. Sullivan (2015)
    The UnEssay: Making Room for Creativity in the Composition Classroom
    College Composition and Communication
  49. Swarts (2015)
    Help is in the Helping: An Evaluation of Help Documentation in a Networked Age
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  50. Swarts J. (2015)
    What user forums teach us about documentation and the value added by technical communicators
    Technical Communication
  51. 10.17763/haer.66.1.17370n67v22j160u
     ↗
  52. Verhulsdonck et al. (2021)
    Lean Data Visualization: Considering Actionable Metrics for Technical Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  53. Vie (2017)
    Training Online Technical Communication Educators to Teach with Social Media: B…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  54. Vie (2008)
    Digital Divide 2.0: “Generation M” and Online Social Networking Sites in the Co…
    Computers and Composition
  55. Warren-Riley (2018)
    G. Y. Agboka & N
  56. Yancey K. B. (2009)
    Writing in the 21st century: A report to the National Council of Teachers of English
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Dec 2024
    “Wayfinding” through the AI wilderness: Mapping rhetorics of ChatGPT prompt writing on X (formerly Twitter) to promote critical AI literacies ↗
    Anuj Gupta; Ann Shivers-McNair
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy teacher development qualitative research digital rhetoric social media artificial intelligence literacy studies community literacy
  2. Pedagogy Apr 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism african american rhetorics cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing graduate education two-year college teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions digital rhetoric multimodality social media literacy studies race and writing gender and writing community literacy literary studies editorial matter
  3. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Nov 2024
    Conceptual Framework for Teaching Business Writing via Social Media ↗
    Nhan Phan
    writing pedagogy service learning teacher development collaborative writing professional writing digital rhetoric social media literacy studies
  4. Computers and Composition Mar 2023
    Slipping into the world: Platforms, scale, and branding in alumni's social media writing ↗
    Carl Whithaus; Karen Lunsford; Jonathan Alexander
    rhetorical criticism qualitative research digital rhetoric social media literacy studies
  5. Pedagogy Jan 2022
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis african american rhetorics decolonial rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing writing across the curriculum graduate education teacher development argument collaborative writing transfer assessment portfolios writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric social media grammar and mechanics literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric community literacy literary studies editorial matter