This article examines to what extent pre-service teachers in Spain use social media as part of their professional learning, and for what purposes.
Based on a validated 33-item questionnaire answered by 231 students enrolled in teacher education degrees and master’s programs (from 10 universities), the findings reveal highly uneven usage: Instagram and YouTube are the most frequently used platforms, while LinkedIn and Facebook (and, to a large extent, TikTok and X) are reported as “never used” by a high percentage of participants. The study highlights a clear paradox: everyday hyperconnectivity does not necessarily translate into systematic use of social networks for learning how to teach.
Regarding motivations, the study groups the results into three main reasons for use: (1) finding resources and people to learn from (materials, ideas, activity examples, teaching contacts), (2) academic learning mediated by the university (activities, collaboration, teacher feedback), and (3) socio-emotional mutual support.
The first is the strongest and most “natural” for students; the third plays a more secondary role; and the second reveals a critical issue: the curricular integration of social media in initial teacher training is perceived as low, especially in aspects such as receiving feedback from instructors or using social media within coursework.
As a key contribution, the article links these findings to the “two worlds gap”: what students learn and share outside the university (on social media) is not always acknowledged or leveraged within the university curriculum. It also identifies differences by age and level of study: younger participants and undergraduate students tend to view the educational potential of social media more positively than older master’s students.
The conclusion is both practical and relevant: it is not enough to assume that future teachers “already know how to use social media.” Instead, explicit training in its professional, ethical, and pedagogical use is needed so that social networks can become a truly valuable tool for teacher development in the 21st century.
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How to Cite: Marcelo-Martínez, P., Yot-Domínguez, C., & Yanes Cabrera, C. (2025). Connected outside, disconnected inside. Social Networks in initial teacher training. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 28(1), 83–106. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.28.1.41343
