Instant Messaging and Microblogging: Situated-Learning Platforms for Educationists and Workplace Mentors

Abstract

We explore how newcomers learn to socialize into the workplace through instant messaging and microblogging. Findings demonstrate that instant messaging can be one mechanism of learning the normative ways of 1) making calls and 2) shifting discussions between the online and offline, while microblogging can be another mechanism of learning the culture of 1) bantering humor and 2) social talk ignoring the physical official hierarchy. We conclude that it is the features of instant messaging and microblogging which characterize newcomers’ use in workplace learning, arguing that the instant messengers and microblogs can function as “situated-learning platforms” on the Internet in which people can learn and practice the normative ways of doing things simultaneously. We suggest that instant messaging and microblogging could be considered as “subjects to be learnt” for teachers and workplace mentors, rather than merely “tools for learning” for workplace newcomers.