Publish at November 29 2023 Updated November 29 2023
"Influencer" is a word with both positive and negative connotations. Many individuals who have emerged from reality shows or developed a mass of admirers online have found a way to make a living from their notoriety. They've become human billboards for products, services and more. These people are a goldmine for brands. On the other hand, this superficiality, obsession with sponsored content and sometimes even scams have played into their negative reputation.
All the more so because, apart from some (sometimes ill-advised) fashion and lifestyle advice, they offer little to their fans beyond the impression of sharing a dream life. This is helped by the fact that many of them have chosen to live in tax havens. Nevertheless, the content of networks like TikTok, Instagram and others is, fortunately, not limited to them. Popularizers are also part of the mix, providing interesting facts. What's more, some teachers are getting in on the act.
Before the pandemic, if some teachers used networks in their teaching, it was mainly within this framework. In general, they even created specific accounts for their class or accessible only to their students. With the confinements, it became necessary to offer content while staying at home. Not only did they have to continue their school year remotely, but this gave them time to analyze the networks and use them differently. From France to India, "Influeneacher" were born to offer educational content on TikTok, YouTube and other sites.
Some have become famous and very popular online. On the English-speaking side, the list is long of teachers in all subjects who have gained fame online. They can show new teaching methods, unusual facts or decipher information circulating online. This pedagogical part of TikTok has even been renamed "TeacherTok", and serves as a witness to all the more or less glorious underbelly of the profession. It's a way of letting the general public in on some of the working conditions they have to juggle with.
In the French-speaking world, YannToutCourt and Monsieur Prof have thousands of views and millions of subscribers. Each in their own field (history and English respectively) they offer content to either awaken young people's critical thinking or inspire them to learn English.
Others who spoke to RFI in February 2023 were Serial Thinker (philosophy), Monsieurlechat94 (chemistry and physics), OrthoCFacile(French) and Wonderwomath (mathematics). Once again, they have taken advantage of the ultra-popular youth network to pass on a wide range of knowledge on these different subjects.
These educational influencers bring added value to networks often saturated with meaningless content. However, as they gain fame online, they also become potential promotional tools. One only has to look at the X (formerly Twitter) charts of personalities from the world of higher education in France to realize the commercial competition being played out between the grandes écoles, which can then boast of having in the top 20 of the most followed presidents or teachers online.
In a context where many teachers find themselves underpaid and looking to improve classroom materials, it can be easy to fall into the trap of the advertising hoarding. Companies have understood the influence of online personalities, and those in the educational world are not to be outdone. As a result, some agree to do business with brands in some of their online posts. When properly emphasized, the partnership can pass muster, even if it raises a few ethical questions. On the other hand, it can be easy to cross the line, like the Malaysian teacher who, for a promotional video, started rummaging through her pupils' bags without their consent.
This raises certain ethical limits to the phenomenon of teacher-influencers. They absolutely must obtain the consent of students and their parents if they are part of a media production that goes online. There is also the danger of becoming intoxicated by this online celebrity and starting to adapt one's entire didactic approach with online content production in mind. It can be easy to fall into a spiral of this kind, especially as networks push for regular content production. It therefore seems important for teachers to ensure their online presence without neglecting their classroom work or adapting it so that it is constantly "popular" with the online audience.
It is necessary to be cautious with commercial partnerships of any kind. It's best to avoid doing so, or at least make sure that it's a product related to the content offered, not just a way of promoting an application or technological solution to other teachers, and that the whole thing isn't a scam. Finally, don't neglect your mental equilibrium, and don't suffer the effects of fame, even on a small scale, of pressure or be overly affected by unconstructive criticism.
The question of these "Influeneacher" raises all kinds of questions. They have the advantage of bringing pedagogy out of the classroom, making it fun and even inspiring colleagues in pedagogical activities, classroom management and other related subjects. However, this must be done on a voluntary basis, respecting the teacher's time and not influencing him or her to seek the "buzz" as they would have said in the early 2010s, to the detriment of their daily practice with their learners.
Photo: Screenshot from the video "Franck Ferrand raconte... n'importe quoi?" by Yann Bouvier
References:
Abidin, Crystal, andArantxa Vizcaino-Verdu. "Why some teachers are becoming TikTok influencers." The Straits Times. Last updated March 31, 2023. https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/why-some-teachers-are-becoming-tiktok-influencers.
Farid, Aminah. "Social media, TikTok and teacher influencers: where should the line be drawn?" Coconuts. last updated June 23, 2023. https://coconuts.co/kl/features/social-media-tiktok-and-teacher-influencers-where-should-the-line-be-drawn/.
Gallois, Jean-Bernard. "Teachers and social networks: the classroom squared." Lea.fr. Last updated May 3, 2023. https://lea.fr/je-m-informe/dossiers/enseignants-reseaux-sociaux-classe-carre.
Henriksson, Isabella. "The role and responsibility of teacher influencers." TeachStone. last updated September 27, 2022. https://info.teachstone.com/blog/the-role-and-responsibility-of-the-educator-influencers.
Leroy, Julien. "TikTok, Instagram: these Toulouse teachers captivate millions of students on social networks." France 3 Occitanie. last updated: October 19, 2023. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/haute-garonne/toulouse/tiktok-instagram-ces-professeurs-de-toulouse-captivent-des-millions-d-eleves-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux-2747986.html.
"Les profs stars des réseaux sociaux." RFI. Last updated: February 16, 2023. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/8-milliards-de-voisins/20230216-les-profs-stars-des-r%C3%A9seaux-sociaux.
Lindsay, Kathryn. "Why teachers have turned into social media influencers." Linktree. last updated October 3, 2021. https://linktr.ee/blog/teacher-influencers-on-social-media/.
O'Brien, Sam. "The rise of teacher influencers and what it takes to be one." EmergingEdTech. last updated June 6, 2022. https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2019/06/28/1373473/the-teacher-as-social-media-celebrity.
Rana, Kadambari. "Teacher as influencers: shaping values and skills for a transformative future." Times of India Blog. last updated July 25, 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/teacher-as-influencers-shaping-values-and-skills-for-a-transformative-future/?source=app&frmapp=yes.
Rollot, Olivier. "'Twitter influence' in higher education 2022: 'star' teachers make their mark." Headway Blog. Last updated: November 17, 2022. https://blog.headway-advisory.com/twitter-influence-de-leducation-personnalites/.
Smart, Pallavi. "How the pandemic turned these teachers into social media stars." The Indian Express. Last updated February 22, 2022. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/teachers-exposed-to-adversity-during-pandemic-write-success-stories-online-7784664/.
"Teacher influencers educating on social media." IZEA. Last updated: October 23, 2023. https://izea.com/resources/teacher-influencers/.
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