Double tap, double trouble: Instagram, teachers, and profit

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the performance of teacher agency amidst national financial and professional deficits in education and sheds light on the growing utilization of Instagram in elementary school contexts. To better understand teachers’ use of this social media platform, we examined the Instagram accounts of 12 highly popular and influential pre-K–6 teachers (i.e., teacher influencers). Data sources comprised over 600 visual and textual posts, which included images, captions, hashtags, and emojis, produced over 3 months in the spring of 2019. Using qualitative coding procedures that were recursive and emphasized the emergent nature of interpretation through a critical literacies framework, we documented the neoliberal teachers’ use of Instagram as a method of participation in a virtual community of practice and as a way to produce, commodify, and possibly profit from posts presented as curricula. Findings suggest that teacher influencers primarily used Instagram as a form of commodification and commerce, as educational content was promoted to users as well as methods of purchase via personal websites, Teachers Pay Teachers and other digital stores. Overall, the teacher influencers’ Instagram use revealed a convergence of complex and multiple discourses involving curriculum, racialized and/or gendered identities, and neoliberal production.

A Modern Problem Faced by Primary School Students in Disadvantaged Regions: Teacher Influencer

“…Warnick et al (2016) also draw attention to this problem and emphasize that pedagogical purposes remain in the background. On the other hand, there are also participants who say that the purpose of teacher influencers is to provide students with knowledge and skills (Davis & Yi, 2022). Teachers also present their content, especially on platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers.…”

“…Likewise, Stokes and Simos (2012) draw attention to the fact that teachers lose their jobs due to their neglect and mistakes in using social media. Davis and Yi (2022) show that teachers share videos and pictures of students singing and dancing as if they create a new brand with the students. They emphasize that students are part of this process knowingly or unknowingly.…”

Professionalisierung von Lehrkräften im Beruf. Stand und Perspektiven der Lehrkräftebildung und Professionsforschung

“…Ob und inwiefern diese Perspektive durch die spezifische Stichprobe/Datenauswahl der Studie bedingt ist, kann nur vermutet werden. Eine neoliberalismuskritische Perspektive auf die Kommodifizierung bildungsrelevanter Inhalte wird bei der qualitativen Analyse von über 600 Beiträgen aus zwölf Instagram-Accounts von Grundschullehrkräften mit über 50.000 Follower:innen eingenommen (Davis & Yi, 2022). Die Autorinnen resümieren: "teacher influencers primarily used Instagram as a form of commodification and commerce, as educational content was promoted to users as well as methods of purchase via personal websites, Teachers Pay Teachers and other digital stores" (Davis & Yi, 2022, S. 320).…”

“…Dieser Normkonflikt ist hinsichtlich einer möglichen Professionalisierung via Instagram kritisch zu berücksichtigen (s. u. sowie hierzu insb. Davis & Yi, 2022).…”

A Creative Communication Partnership to Promote Curricula Dissemination on Social Media

“…Although some programs have been successful in using social media for connecting with students in rural areas, there remain important challenges related to teacher-student engagement on social media platforms Carpenter and Harvey, 2019;Chester et al, 2018). Social media is perhaps better suited for connecting adult professionals with resources, as teacher networks on social media platforms have emerged as a hub for teachers and education outreach programs to share professional materials and training opportunities with one another (Carpenter et al, 2023;Davis and Yi, 2022;Torphy et al, 2020). Advances in distance learning, online face-to-face conferencing, and the ability to develop online training modules, now offer an opportunity for education outreach programs to enhance their dissemination by engaging teachers online.…”