Wednesday Wildcard: Be Careful With Social Media English Accounts

I look at a lot of social media posts about learning English. I see the same memes, tips, tricks, videos and ideas time and time again. After 2 years of teaching online I have to say, I am worried about what people are learning from social media “English lessons”.

This is a list of what I have seen that makes me think you should be careful with what you believe on social media:

1. Misspelled words

2. Incorrect grammar

3. Incorrect pronunciation

4. People who are beginner English learners teaching others advanced English

5. “TIPS” never to use a word that is totally normal to use

6. People saying you should use as many idioms as possible

7. Incorrect collocations

8. Incorrect verb conjugations

9. Incorrect usage of pronouns

10. Incorrect usage of prepositions

11. Cultural advice that is incorrect

That is a very long list… So how can you make sure you are getting good information? Do a little research on your social media channels. Here is what to look for:

• English Teaching Qualifications

• English Teaching Experience

• Native speaker (Not essential but good for high level learners)

• Look for an American channel if you want to learn American English, Canadian for Canadian, British for British etc.

• Posts with thousands of comments like “great!”, “I learn so much!”, and “So good!” are fake.

A professional website

Good luck! Let me know about those great English teaching social media accounts out there! Have a wonderful sunny Wednesday.