Insights from Social Media into Literacy Practice and Intergenerational Communication in Korea: Recent Cases of Illiteracy

Abstract

Literacy has recently become a hot topic. Recent cases on social/news media in South Korea include simsimhan sakwa (sincere apology) and sahul (three days). To discuss literacy issues and provide feasible solutions, this study explores the insights from social media into literacy practice in South Korea with reference to recent cases of illiteracy. Based on the concepts of New Literacy Studies, Bakhtin’s dialogism, Bourdieu’s capital, and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, this study concludes that no case is directly applicable to social media literacy since the fundamental problems did not result from any personalized content or different perceptions of reality. However, cases on YouTube including chosengchey and yamincengum are consistent with social media literacy. The problems can be partially solved by emphasizing Sino-Korean morphemes and by raising students’ vocabulary level in any subject matter. More importantly, intergenerational problems in communication should be resolved through efforts to better understand each other. Without awareness, tolerance, appreciation, and appropriateness in literacy practices, the intergenerational gap in communication will not be eliminated; communication between generations is at the heart of the problem.