Social Networking Sites and Language Learning

This article examines a study of seven learners who logged their experiences on the language learning socialnetworking site Livemocha over a period of three months. The features of the site are described and the likelihoodof their future success is considered. The learners were introduced to the Social Networking Site (SNS)and asked to learn a language on the site. They were positive about two aspects of the site: the immediatepeer-feedback available and the ability to converse synchronously and asynchronously with native speakersof their target language. However, there was universal criticism of the “word-list” based language learningmaterials and several participants complained about the regular cyber-flirting they encountered. Other aspectsof the site including accessibility, ease of use, syllabus, activities, and relationships with other members arealso considered. The potential for integrating some of the features of SNSs for language learning into theHigher Education (HE) curriculum and the implications of this for educators are also discussed.