Social media, new technologies and history education

This chapter explores the implications of recent developments in technology and social media, having a significant impact on the way in which young people learn history in schools and outside schools. New technology not only has a positive influence on education, it also has unintended negative consequences. Positioning the increasing influence of the internet and social media in history education in a broader discourse about new technology and education, we pay attention to the potentially harmful effects on history education. Furthermore we focus on the attributes that are helpful to history teachers and students while reflecting on ways in which well-informed use of social media helps to obviate negative consequences of ‘bad’ history.