Browsing by Author "Vähänen, Henna"

This study is based on a literature review, and the purpose of the study was to explore how media education affects preadolescents’ use and safety of social media. Literature concer- ning media education and its implementation in schools is plentiful, which allowed a detailed inspection of how media education, as we know it today, has taken shape. Social media as a phenomenon is constantly evolving, which is why it is imperative to have up-to-date re- search on the topic. It was sensible to analyse the safety of the phenomenon based on re- search conducted in the last couple of years. The research method used in this study was a descriptive literature review. The data consis- ted of both Finnish and English literature, some studies and other publications. Media edu- cation was mapped as education and teaching of media by incorporating the use of media in the classroom. However, the use of technology for pedagogical purposes is not in itself media education. Social media was found to be a broad phenomenon consisting of several platforms and applications. This study explored social media from the perspective of those services, which Finnish youngsters, according to research, use the most. These services in- cluded Instagram and Facebook. The results indicated that media education is an established part of the core curriculum for basic education, and it should be implemented in all school subjects. Media literacy was shown to be a crucial part of media education as the effects of media impact so many diffe- rent areas of people’s lives. Safety in social media entails not only age limits and privacy protection, but also matters of addiction. Many of the literature sources demonstrated the power of media education in how preadolescents’ act online and on social media.