@Kendra, yes of course… I view that the educational merit of an educational venture should be at least conceivable or believable particularly if it is unproven. That said, there are actually a number of successful ventures that were not intended for education that have had huge impacts in the realm (social media is indeed one example) that educators simply can’t ignore. There are so many theories that educators are willing to test out simply because they have permeated popular culture (educational gaming, virtual environments etc.) that are highly enticing regardless of little or no proven educational benefit. It’s an interesting conundrum. I don’t think there is any right formula here but hitting critical mass in culture makes some contentious and experimental solutions hard to ignore.