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This interpretive phenomenological study examined how Thai teenagers majoring in English and Chinese use platforms to support English learning, including perceived affordances and encountered drawbacks. Using IPA with in-depth semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis shows gains in technical, cognitive, and social literacies alongside issues like distraction, informal-language exposure, translation-based miscommunication, and credibility assessment challenges, supporting digital literacy integration in EFL curricula.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/social-media-as-a-digital-language-learning-ecosystem-an-interpretive-study-of-thai-teenagers-english-development/582296/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/social-media-as-a-digital-language-learning-ecosystem-an-interpretive-study-of-thai-teenagers-english-development/582296.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Margaret","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-15","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How does the study explain Thai teenagers’ social media use for English learning?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It interprets how learners engage with social media as informal spaces, focusing on perceived affordances and the cognitive, social, and critical literacies involved in English development.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which social media platforms were frequently used in the findings?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The study reports frequent use of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter to support vocabulary, grammar, intercultural communication, and critical thinking.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What drawbacks did participants report?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Participants reported distraction, overexposure to informal language, miscommunication caused by faulty translations, and difficulties judging content credibility, indicating gaps in critical digital literacy.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},582296,1792165543,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},137451207643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language  \nSocial Media as a Digital Language Learning Ecosystem: An Interpretive Study of Thai Teenagers’English Development  \n***On the Internet***  \nAisahApridayani  \nWalailak University, Thailand \u003C[apridayani.edu@gmail.com](apridayani.edu@gmail.com)>  \nWanapon Sompuwet  \nWalailak University, Thailand \u003C[wanapon.so@mail.wu.ac.th](wanapon.so@mail.wu.ac.th)>  \nAbstract  \nDespite growing interest in the role of digital media in language learning, limited research examined how teenagers in EFL contexts engage with social media as informal spaces for English development, particularly through the lens of cognitive, social, and critical literacies. This study explored how Thai teenagers majoring in English and Chinese use social media platforms to support their English language learning, the affordances they perceive, and the drawbacks they encounter. Anchored in the Digital Literacies Framework (DLF), the study employed an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten Thai teenagers who have studied English for over twelve years and possessed A2–B1 CEFR proficiency. Thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase procedure revealed that platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter were frequently used to enhance vocabulary, grammar, intercultural communication, and critical thinking, reflecting the development of technical, cognitive, and social literacies. However, participants also reported drawbacks, including distraction, overexposure to informal language, miscommunication due to faulty translations, and difficulties assessing content credibility—highlighting gaps in critical digital literacy. The findings suggest that integrating digital literacy instruction into EFL curricula can help teenagers navigate online learning spaces more effectively and foster more purposeful and reflective language development.  \nKeywords: Digital Literacy, Drawbacks, Language Development, Social Media, Thai Teenagers  \nSocial media has a significant effect on the language learning ecosystem, providing learners with exposure to real use of the language, spontaneous interaction chances, and exposure to language and cultural variance (Barrot, 2022) . Sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are becoming more integral parts of the daily routines of students, both as sites of socialization and as unstructured sites for language acquisition (Bouvier & Machin, 2020; Cheung, 2010; Wang et al., 2024) . Their affordances, from user-generated videos to real-time  \ncommenting, have been associated with increased student participation, communicative competency, and learning motivation in English (Abdalgane, 2022; Han, 2022; John & Yunus, 2021) . Empirical evidence considering inclusiveness highlights the pedagogic value of the platforms in facilitating learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) more easily. Previous research demonstrated the potential of social media for vocabulary development, oral and written fluency, and collaborative and autonomous learning (Mohamad et al., 2023; Muftah, 2024; Rezaul Karim et al., 2022) . Specifically, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have been identified as promoting creative language use and providing natural, culture-specific materials (Dincer, 2020; Lee, 2023; Liu et al., 2025) . Students who consume English content on social media tend to show higher consciousness of the language, increased confidence, and the desire to speak (Hongsa et al., 2023; Rasyid et al., 2023) .  \nEnglish is taught in Thailand as a compulsory foreign language. However, it is disconnected from students' daily lives, for which social media offers a viable gateway to bridging the gap. Teacher-led instruction in Thai classrooms continues to emphasize grammar-based approaches and exam performance (Khemkullanat & Khongput, 2023), limiting students' exposure to English in authentic situations. ","cbCaisDc7MNWoxZY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisDc7MNWoxZY","pdf",626792,21,"English","# Abstract\n## Background and research gap\n## Study design and framework\n## Platforms and learning outcomes\n## Reported drawbacks and critical literacy needs\n## Implications for EFL curricula","[{\"question\":\"How does the study explain Thai teenagers’ social media use for English learning?\",\"answer\":\"It interprets how learners engage with social media as informal spaces, focusing on perceived affordances and the cognitive, social, and critical literacies involved in English development.\"},{\"question\":\"Which social media platforms were frequently used in the findings?\",\"answer\":\"The study reports frequent use of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter to support vocabulary, grammar, intercultural communication, and critical thinking.\"},{\"question\":\"What drawbacks did participants report?\",\"answer\":\"Participants reported distraction, overexposure to informal language, miscommunication caused by faulty translations, and difficulties judging content credibility, indicating gaps in critical digital literacy.\"}]","Social Media as a Digital Language Learning Ecosystem - An Interpretive Study of Thai Teenagers’English Development | PDF",1792042984,53]