Applications capabilities of Social networks for teaching Russian as a Second language

The purpose of the article is to describe the language education capabilities of social networks in teaching Russian as a foreign language. The key aspects of the critical analysis of the non-specialized social networks potential in teaching a foreign language were: 1) features of communication in social networks from the point of view of foreign language education; 2) the functionality of social networks available for teaching Russian as a foreign language; 3) positive effects associated with the use of a social network in teaching a foreign language; 4) comparison of the capabilities of different social networks, image-boards and instant messengers in teaching Russian as a foreign language. Methods and research material: content analysis of Russian-language research on the language education use of social networks in teaching RFL, phenomenological and comparative analysis of social networks VK (VKontakte), Facebook*, image board Instagram* and Telegram messenger. The material for the study was samples of experience in using social networks in teaching Russian as a foreign language, obtained based on the random sampling method in the social networks VKontakte and Telegram. Research results. The foreign language education potential of social networks in learning a foreign language is associated with different types of speech activity (reading, writing, listening and specific speech production) implemented through Internet communication. By representing reality through text, audio, video and visual materials, social networks provide the opportunity for targeted teaching of a foreign language: their functionality allows you to create thematic communities that can become a virtual space for the formation of an artificial language environment. There, foreign communicants studying Russian as a foreign language can 1) create, publish and perceive text in verbal, photo, video, audio format on a personal page or in a thematic community; 2) leave comments under the publication, add subtitles or script text to the video; 3) express your assessment through symbols under the publication (use emoticons); 4) search for information; 5) send and receive voice or text messages, 6) use a chatbot or virtual assistant for communication, question and answer services; 7) conduct a survey/vote or participate in it; 8) use hashtags or keywords, monitor updated information on the hashtag; 9) fill out the calendar of events and important dates; 10) formulate “status” (from one word to a phrase about the current state of the author; 11) Create a conversation (polylogue) for specific participants and participate in it. The peculiarity of communication in social networks, therefore, lies in the variety of types of speech and cognitive activity of communicants. Learning in social networks follows the principles of micro-learning (short-learning). Using the discursive features of the platforms themselves, it mimics familiar content, the consumption of which takes modern users a significant amount of time every day and thus implements the foreign language education principles of entertainment and accessibility. It creates the horizontal connections in communication, combines synchronous and asynchronous nature and allows you to use linguistic and non-linguistic means to study Russian as a foreign language, thereby forming an artificial language environment necessary in conditions of lack of natural communication.* Social networks Facebook and Instagram are products of Meta Platforms Inc. – an organization whose activities are currently prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation. Research materials on these sites were collected until July 1, 2021.

Foreign language Education, Russian as a second language, blended learning, learning in social networks, chat-bot technology in Education, Telegram learning, Instagram learning