INSTAGRAM IN EDUCATION: PEDAGOGICAL POTENTIAL AND KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

Abstract

 With the ubiquity of social media in everyday life, these platforms have been transforming into spaces for both informal and formal learning, capable of promoting interaction, knowledge sharing, and student engagement. This article synthesizes research published on the use of Instagram in educational contexts. The analysis of the 14 selected studies was qualitative and organized into five thematic axes: contextualizing learning with students’ realities; Instagram as a facilitator of language learning and the promotion of intercultural learning; Instagram as a tool for disseminating scientific knowledge; Instagram as a means for active, collaborative, and reflective learning; and challenges and difficulties in using Instagram as a pedagogical tool. The findings indicate that the platform's visual and interactive features such as images, short videos, stories, polls, and live streams foster collaborative and contextualized knowledge construction, expand the dissemination of knowledge, and stimulate student creativity and engagement.