El uso de las redes sociales por parte de los estudiantes de comunicación de Costa Rica y Colombia

This article analyses the use of social networks by students of Communication in Costa Rica and Colombia. The main objective is to understand the level of knowledge that students of Communication have of social networking in order to contribute to the redesign of curricula, develop educational strategies and categorize the students' use of the Web 2. 0. We have carried out surveys and focus groups with a sample of 112 students from Costa Rica and 71 from Colombia. The research results show that students of Communication and future journalists give great importance to social networks as sources of journalistic information. Students also affirm that social networks have transformed their professional, social and personal life. The findings suggest that universities need to make a major commitment to media literacy and they should focus more on the critical aspects related to the contents than on the acquisition of instrumental techniques or skills.