Language learners’ social media engagement, autonomy, and algorithmic awareness

Abstract

Social media and streaming platforms offer rich opportunities for language learners to engage with foreign languages beyond the classroom. However, platform algorithms often prioritise English content, limiting the visibility of other languages. This study explores how learners can develop algorithmic awareness, the ability to understand and influence how algorithms filter and promote content, to reshape their digital environments for more multilingual and autonomous language learning. Using a design-based approach, we implemented a bridging activity in four university-level foreign language courses (three in Russian and one in Spanish), involving 26 students at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Data sources included post-activity questionnaires, student ethnographic diaries, conceptual maps, and teacher notes. Findings show that learners following instruction developed five key strategies organizing their autonomous language learning environment: (1) identifying how algorithms function, (2) shifting focus to non-English content, (3) using subtitles as a comprehension tool, (4) following interest-driven content pathways, and (5) recognising the limits of language learning via social media. Through this process, students came to view algorithmic awareness as essential to understanding how linguistic content becomes visible and accessible online.