Influence of social networks on responsible consumption in Primary Education teachers

Abstract

Currently, consumption is the main gratification of citizens, resorting to the incessant acquisition of new stimuli and experiences. This reality is increased by the use of social networks, platforms that find their main source of funding in advertising and digital marketing. Faced with this socio-economic model, the figure of teachers emerges with relevance, as role models and those responsible for the education of future generations. For this reason, the aim of this research is to explore the use of social networks and the consumption habits of teachers in the last cycle of Primary Education, as well as their repercussions on classroom activities. For this purpose, a Focus Group was carried out with six teachers from Cantabria (España). The results point to a contradictory situation where the participants, despite not considering sustainability as one of their main consumption criteria and giving in to some of the strategies employed by social networks, do pay attention to its promotion in the classroom on a regular basis. In view of this controversy, the need to make teachers aware of the importance of responsible consumption in the current context is highlighted, so that its development becomes naturalised and, therefore, its transfer to the classroom with the youngest children.