УДК 378.147.31 Nurmukhanbetova G.A. 1* 1
International Information Technology University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
*E-mail: galiya-n@yandex.ru
THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Abstract: The article analyzes the possibilities and prospects of using social networks in the study of
environmental problems by student journalists in the new conditions of social distance associated with the
COVID-19 pandemic. Interest in studying the role of social networks in the educational process was caused
by the fact that there are very few scientific studies on the impact of social networks on the learning process at
the university. The author conducted a survey of journalism students about the effectiveness and use of social
networks, in particular when writing posts, as well as a comparison of the productivity of various student
activities. The article concludes that social networks have great potential for use in the educational process,
in particular Instagram as the most popular platform among young people. At the same time, the use of social
networks is not the main tool, but only an approach that complements traditional learning. The transition of
social network users from entertainment content to problematic environmental and social topics is also very
important.
Keywords: Environmental education, Sustainable development goals (SDG), social networks, post writing/
blogging, opportunities and limitations of social networks, survey of students.
Introduction Environmental education is an important component of general education aimed at creating conditions for
the formation of environmental culture among the younger generation. An important role in promoting the value
and importance of understanding environmental problems and the responsibility of every citizen of the country
in the preservation of the natural heritage is given to the media. In this regard, a number of elective courses have
been developed at the Department of Media Communications and History of the IITU of Kazakhstan aimed at
studying and promoting the global sustainable development goals in the educational system of the university:
- Sustainable Development Goals: journalistic aspect
- Environmental journalism
- Coverage of environmental issues in the media
- Green technologies in IT
On the way to studying environmental problems and ways to solve them, students face certain difficulties:
the difficulty of understanding the mechanisms of environmental processes, scientific uncertainty, insufficient
media literacy, lack of communicative competencies, and the transformation of the educational process in
connection with COVID -19.
The complexity of understanding environmental processes is due to the fact that the state of the environment
and environmental problems are related to politics, economics and the social sphere, problems of culture,
science, education and ethical issues. Speaking about scientific uncertainty, it should be understood that most
environmental problems are associated with information obtained by scientific methods, and scientists still
do not have an unambiguous answer to many questions. Moreover, statistics can also be uncertain and often
depend on the position of the researcher himself. In the formation of media literacy, in addition to professional
requirements, it is also necessary to develop student critical thinking, analytical and communication skills.
Transformation of the educational process in connection with COVID-19, which has accelerated the use of
modern information technologies, from access to the Internet to the transition to online learning through
learning platforms (Teams, Moodle, Zoom), educational platforms (Coursera Campus, webinars), as well as
Youtube and social networks (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.).
The purpose of the article is to study the possibilities and prospects of using social networks in the study
of environmental problems by student journalists in the new conditions of social distance associated with the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In Kazakhstan, in 2021, the number of Internet users is 84.2% [1]. Moreover, according to the Ookla Speedtest
Global Index, Kazakhstan in April 2021 became the leader in terms of the rate of promotion of mobile Internet
International Journal of Information and Communication Technologies, Special issue, march 2022
137