This study investigates to what extent a language learners-as-ethnographers (LAE) approach utilizing social media helped English language learners (ELLs) become fuller participants in a face-to-face target language community. The pedagogical design of this LAE project was based on bridging activities and legitimate peripheral participation in situated-learning principles. The instruction was designed to develop awareness of social media literacy as a means for community practice in ELLs' target language. The study was conducted through analysis of students' narratives, post-task questionnaires, and individual interviews, including 36 ELLs' experiences engaging in local communities and their journey from peripheral toward fuller participation. The findings suggest that being exposed to authentic language and situated learning contexts by using social media in an LAE approach helped ELLs gain knowledge in (1) information literacy, (2) target language culture, and (3) sociocultural learning in both online and in-person environments. This study contributes to the current literature by proposing a conceptual model for increasing participation in online contexts based on these three key knowledge and skills, emphasizing the potential of these factors in enabling ELLs to become fuller participants within the face-to-face target language community.