Skills Education

Creating social media inspired learning environments (SMILEs) for Gen Z without actually using social media sites

Ever get up and check your phone straight away? 

Australian social media use gives us very clear pointers about how popular the channels and technologies are for sharing and consuming information. 

This session will show how to transfer the principles that make social media so appealing and engaging into your own teaching practice. This approach is particularly relevant given the incoming social media ban for young people in Australia starting December 2025.

You will learn to apply the psychological and behavioural principles that engage learners and maintain their interest without having to use actual social media. Viable alternatives for education are presented for those whose institutions do not allow social media access. 

This session will also offer guidance on techniques to improve students' digital literacy skills.

Note: This session is not about using social media in your lessons. It’s about taking the principles that make social media so popular and applying those principles to a learning environment.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to:

• Explain why social media is so appealing
• Know how to leverage this appeal principle in your own facilitation of learning
• Adapt the appeal strategies used by social media to create learning activities students will want to engage with
• Set up engagement activities using digital tools that mimic the functions of actual social media sites - great for when you cannot or do not wish to use social media in your teaching