Web-based communication technologies have collided during the past decade resulting in a mete-oric paradigm shift that has permanently altered human discourse (Turkle, 2008). Previously held concepts of personal expression, privacy, and interpersonal relationships have been replaced by re-envisioned Web 2.0 conceptualizations. At the nucleus of this transformation are social net-working technologies such as Facebook and Twitter, which are blurring the lines between our professional, personal, and academic lives.
Today’s learners have had their world defined by Web 2.0 technologies. As digital natives, they are permanently tethered to ubiquitous, highly accessible, ever evolving technologies that trans-form users from passive consumers to prosumers (creators) of user-generated content exchanged through a host of networked communities. Empowered by technology, the current generation of students yearns for new means for self-expression and information sharing.
Educators seek ways to bridge the perceived technological chasm between tutor and tutee. The extent to which this chasm actually exists and the role of social networking technologies as part of a possible solution remain under ex-ploration. Further, the degree to which students expect to see social networking technologies integrated into the learning process remains unclear. The following paper attempts to explore this issue by presenting the results of a study that ex-amined the perceptions of management students who completed courses at a U.S. Mid-Atlantic minority-serving uni-versity during the spring of 2010 and