Why I Teach Social Networking

The first thing I should do here is explain the title. By "teach social networking," I really just mean "show my students how to open Facebook accounts." Social networking really teaches itself; all that I do after the initial set-up is answer questions, and about every 20 minutes, I add a mini-demonstration on another of the site's features.

Why Facebook? The answer's simple: Facebook is - overwhelmingly - the social networking platform of choice for Malawians. That's really the only thing that matters. A social networking site is pretty worthless if your own social network is off doing their thing somewhere else. If Malawians were using MySpace or Bebo in vast numbers, I'd encourage my students to use those websites instead.

So, why social networking in the first place? Usually when I tell friends back home that I'm teaching Facebook, they groan and make some joke about how I'm encouraging the downfall of Malawian society via the Facebook "time-suck." Eh. I have two pretty sound reasons for doing what I do.

First off, Facebook does not have a stigma of unprofessionalism associated with it here in Malawi, unlike the US. Online social networking can be an incredibly useful tool professionally (I've never used it, but I understand LinkedIn is the "professional" version of social networking sites like Facebook - of course, again, there's absolutely nobody using it in Malawi). Over time, though, the Facebook brand has become associated with frivolity and time-wasting - not, I hasten to add, without reason. However, this does not mean that it can't be used for legitimate professional social networking purposes. And since Facebook is not automatically associated with goofing off in Malawi, its users have some wiggle room to make it into whatever sort of tool they want (to an extent, I think Facebook's silly time-wasting side is a self-fulfilling prophecy).

That's point number one, but my bigger (and slightly contrary) reason for teaching Facebook is this: People who only ever use computers for office work will never really get them, because they won't bother taking the time. Playing is good. Goofing around a little is good. If you get the idea into your head that computers are here for you, and not the other way around, that can only be a good thing. Computers are incredibly versatile tools that can be put to just about any purpose - but if you only ever use them for what you are told is their intended purpose (which is usually pretty dreary) then you will never get this, and you will never learn to love computers. If you never learn to love computers, it is certain that you will never comprehend the full extent of what they can achieve, the sorts of problems they can be put to solving.

I don't think that my students are about to have their minds completely blown from one afternoon of Facebook - let's not get carried away here. But I do think it's important that I give them a well-rounded experience, and that they not only finish my class more knowledgeable about computers, but appreciative of them as well.