Reagan Harper (he/they) is the Research and Instructional Design Librarian at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a trans, disabled, early career librarian whose work revolves around teaching first year college students the essential research skills they need for a successful academic career. In his personal research, he is interested in Queer history and theory, folklore and cryptids, equitable education, museums and historic sites, and the use of video games in education.
People are receiving information through short videos at increasing rates between TikTok, Instagram’s Reels, Facebook’s Reels, and Snapchat Stories. This session will focus primarily on TikTok since it is becoming one of the top social media apps in the United States with TikTok reporting 150 million US users in March of 2023 (TikTok Newsroom, 2023). We will discuss how the shift from text and photos to videos is changing our students’, patrons’ and our own expectations for learning, how TikTok is designed as a platform, and why you might consider utilizing these apps in the classroom or library. As the current bills around TikTok in the United States are actively changing, it is important for us to also address the history of the “TikTok Ban”, the current legislation around TikTok, and the possible impacts of this legislation.
