The objective of this study is to examine various aspects of the difference between the acquisition of English and Spanish by Swedish learners in compulsory education and its causes. The two subjects have the same syllabus, with the difference that English studies start 3 years earlier, but studies of the competences of the Swedish students in these two languages (see f.ex. First European Survey of Language Competences, 2012)suggest that the gap between the languages is bigger than what could be expected and that there is an existing difference in attitude towards the two languages. The conclusion is that the predominance of English in the immediate environment of the surveyed students is considerable. The study has shown large differences between the input in English and Spanish. Students receive input in Spanish, communicate in Spanish and acquire knowledge of Spanish / Latin American cultures almost exclusively at school. On the other hand, they acquire knowledge, receive input and interact in English both in school and in their spare time. We also found considerable differences in attitudes towards the two languages and the perceived ability of the students. The Spanish is perceived as more difficult, less necessary, less fun and less useful in their future lives. New technologies create new platforms for communication that allow students to participate in interaction in the target language. This study shows that these situations occur mostly in English but also in Spanish, which in our opinion could be more used in teaching.

El objetivo que se persigue con esta tesina es mostrar un panorama didáctico efectivo del uso de diversas redes sociales y el correo electrónico para la adquisición del español como lengua extranjera. Se han realizado investigaciones teóricas en diversas fuentes literarias y un estudio empírico que ha arrojado datos interesantes. En este trabajo se exponen diversas aportaciones lingüísticas que dan soporte a nuestras cuatro propuestas didáctias que proponen actividades en las que se pretende la inmersión del alumno en la lengua meta de una manera auténtica y motivadora. A través de este trabajo podemos concluir que el involucrar las redes sociales en las lecciones de ELE con un uso responsable y enfocado, contribuiría a construir un entorno multicultural entre los alumnos que supere las barreras geográficas y culturales del idioma, donde podría fácilmente darse un aprendizaje mucho más efectivo. / The objective pursued with this essay is to show an efficient didactic way of how to use various social networks and e-mail in the acquisition of Spanish as a foreign language. Theoretical investigations have been conducted in various literary sources and an empirical study have been conducted that yielded interesting data. In this essay we describe various linguistic contributions that give support to our four didactic proposals in which we seek the student’s immersion in the target language in anauthentic and motivating way. With this investigation we can conclude that the responsible and focused use of the social networks in the Spanish as a foreign language lessons, contributes to building a multicultural environment among students that overcome the geographic and cultural barriers of language, which could easily make learning more efficient.