Studying the image of "university professor" on Instagram

Abstract
The aim of this article is to study and classify the various forms of university professors’ presence on Instagram, a platform that allows users, including university faculty, to showcase themselves and aspects of their lifestyles. This study, which began with an exploratory approach, was conducted using digital ethnography. After examining twenty accounts across three fields: humanities, arts, and engineering, it was concluded that professors’ presence on Instagram can be classified into four forms of performance: academic, event-based, everyday, and reactive performance. The data from this research indicate that the mechanisms of Instagram and the rules governing presence on the platform can eliminate informational barriers between professors and their followers, potentially leading to the normalization of academic identity and ultimately changing the traditional professor-student relationship in this space.
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
The emergence of the virtual space as a novel platform for interaction between the present and the absent, as well as the opportunity for the absent to engage with the absent, has introduced novel ways to broaden the scope of criticism and opinion, thereby meeting the heightened communication demands of contemporary individuals and enhancing the exposure prospects for the parties involved in communication.
Instagram is still considered to be one of the most significant social networks in Iran, due to its focus on user-generated content, particularly in the form of photos and videos accompanied by explanations. This platform has become a primary medium that shapes a large part of users' understanding and interaction with each other or the prominent personalities present within the space.
Prior to the emergence of the virtual realm and social networks, the relationship between teachers and students was often marked by disagreements and rigid thought processes, resulting in limited interaction options. Student encounters with teachers were typically few and limited to face-to-face interaction, with an inherent sense of distance in terms of knowledge and social stature. This lack of readily accessible information hindered students from forming comprehensive mental images of their teachers.
Over time, with the emergence and spread of social networks, the once distant relationship between teachers and students transformed into a closer and more visible interaction. This change was characterized by professors sharing aspects of their daily lives and personal characteristics with the public. In turn, students and other members of virtual communities associated with these professors found ample opportunities to fill information gaps and gain insights into their teachers through these virtual platforms.
By actively participating in social networks, professors have exposed and explained their lives and mindset, providing users with a markedly different and more accessible image than what was previously available. Transparency, despite being an inherent aspect and logic of this medium, undoubtedly challenges the traditionally distant and unapproachable stature of professors.
The objective of this research is to examine and classify the various forms of presence university professors exhibit on Instagram and identify the patterns through which they disclose aspects of their lives. Specifically, the question is: How do Iranian university professors in diverse disciplines portray themselves and their lives on Instagram?
The question then becomes how the position of a professor is implemented and how various types of professor presence can be categorized in the social network. Furthermore, through studying these pages and categorizing them, can we identify differences in how professors in various fields, such as technical, experimental, and humanities, express their identities and describe these differences?
The article aims to analyze and classify different forms of university professor presence on Instagram, a platform that enables users, including professors, to showcase themselves and their lives. Images that can challenge established hierarchies and power dynamics within the professor-student relationship and transform the learning environment into a more open and diversified space.
This study, which began with an exploratory approach in the initial stage, was completed through the utilization of the digital ethnographic method. This leads us to the overarching question: How do faculty members from Iranian universities with various fields portray "themselves" and their lives on Instagram?
Indeed, two key questions emerge: How is the role of a professor implemented in this social network, and how can distinct forms of professor presence be classified? Additionally, by analyzing these pages and categorizing them, can we discern any differences in how professors from various fields, such as technical, experimental, and humanities, express their identities, and if so, how might we describe these differences?
The active participation of professors in social networks seems to have provided users with a more authentic and accessible image of their professors, by revealing and explaining their lives and ideologies. Transparency, while being the backbone and logic of this space, inevitably challenges the long-established yet distant and unattainable status of professors.
After examining user accounts in three distinct fields — humanities, arts, and technical engineering — a total of twenty accounts, it was discovered that the presence of university professors on Instagram could be categorized into four main identities: academic, occasion, everyday, and reactive.
The results of this study demonstrate that the mechanisms of Instagram and the norms of engagement within this platform, by decreasing the information barrier between professors and their followers, contribute to the normalization of Professor's identity and the gradual disappearance of their traditional, sacred aura in this digital space.