Overview for Teachers

This lesson encourages students to critically examine social media personas, understanding the distinction between online personas and real life, and the effects of curated social media feeds.

What you'll Need

• A smart phone with a camera

• Photo editing app like Canva

Slide 1

Welcome students to the lesson and briefly explain that today’s lesson is about social media and the way personas are curated online.

Slide 2

Share the lesson objectives of what students will be learning today.

Slide 3

Initiate a discussion on how the way people present themselves on social media might differ from real life. This encourages students to think critically about online identities.

Slide 4

Define social media and ask your students if they use any social media apps.

Slide 5

Explain what curated feeds are and how they are used to create a specific online image or persona.

Slide 6

Define 'online personas' and explore the reasons why people might present themselves differently online.

Slide 7

Explore reasons why people use social media, like connecting with friends, expressing themselves, and sharing interests.

Slide 8

Discuss different motivations for posting on social media, such as gaining popularity, documenting memories, and creative expression.

Slide 9

Explain how online personas are created on social media, focusing on the image and message people want others to see and engage with.

Slide 10

Delve deeper into curated feeds, highlighting how they allow individuals to shape their online persona.

Slide 11

Discuss the curated nature of social media platforms, for example Instagram, and how users deliberately select what they want to show the public.

Slide 12

Contrast idealised Instagram photos with the reality behind them, emphasising that social media often shows a polished, edited version of life.

Slide 13

Highlight the importance of understanding that social media often shows only the best parts of someone's life, not the full picture.

Slide 14

Discuss how to be a savvy social media user, including not comparing one's life to online portrayals and understanding that likes and comments do not define self-worth.

Slide 15

For this activity, students can choose to work in small groups, pairs, or individually.

Slide 16

Ensure all students have access to a device with a camera, as well as a photo editing app like Canva.

Slide 17

Conduct an activity where students create 'Instagram-worthy' images and compare them with their original versions, highlighting the editing and filtering involved in curated content.

Slide 18

Demonstrate the expected outcome of the activity with this example.

Slide 19

Facilitate a session for students to share and discuss their edited and original photos, promoting an understanding of the difference between curated content and reality.

Slide 20

Summarise the lesson, encouraging students to reflect on what they've learned about social media personas and curated feeds.

Slide 21

Emphasise that not everything seen on social media is true to life, it's often curated, and the importance of balancing online and offline life for wellbeing.

Slide 22

Congratulate students on completing the lesson and encourage them to continue exploring their online identities with a critical and informed perspective.