This study explores the emerging role of university professors on TikTok, examining their goals, communication styles, and strategies. Historically, the professor’s role has been public, centered on sharing knowledge. The term professor originates from the Latin profitieri, meaning to declare publicly, highlighting the profession’s role in knowledge dissemination. One point of departure for the analysis is Gramsci’s (1971) understanding of the role of the intellectual to maintain or resist capitalist hegemony. TikTok complicates this function, operating within hegemonic capitalism while challenging U.S. internet dominance (Gray, 2021).  The research employs a netnographic approach to examine professor micro-influencers (10K+ followers). Guided by discourse theory (Laclau & Mouffe, 2001), the study explores two questions: What themes and content emerge in the professor’s posts? How do these align with influencer roles and academia’s current state? Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) provides an overarching view of dominant themes, complemented by in-depth content analysis. Among 17 creators, five we closely examined, focusing on themes of TikTok’s potential ban, teaching, and research.  Preliminary findings suggest a predominance of humor content, aligned with TikTok trends, particularly slapstick pranks and darkly comedic reflections on life in academia. Here, the creators align with wellknown formats on the app. Professors also positioned themselves as public educators, using their expertise in, for example, AI ethics, linguistics, and gender theory to critique social and political issues, something that is also common in the general TikTok feed. The public availability of this content could be seen as reminiscent of both the original meaning of the word 'professor' and Gramsci’s theory of the organic intellectual. However, professors balance dual roles as researchers and educators while being commodified through the algorithms of TikTok and within academia under neoliberalism, facing pressures from both audit culture and industry expectations (Troiani & Dutson, 2021; Brown, 2017), thereby fulfilling the function of the traditional intellectual. This research contributes to understanding how social media intersects with academia, raising critical questions about the role of professors as digital influencers, the democratization of knowledge, and the implications of blending scholarly authority with influencer culture.

This study offers a novel perspective by framing affective polarization, an emotional divide marked by hostility, distrust, and prejudicial attitudes toward perceived out-groups, as an informal learning process. Informal learning here refers to self-directed, interest-driven learning embedded in everyday activity, occurring without formal instruction or external assessment. While affective polarization is often treated as a byproduct of ideological conflict or misinformation, this research reveals how users on social media learn to engage, interpret, and perform identities through emotionally charged, polarized interactions. Using Netnography, this study analyzes a Facebook animal rights campaign to explore how platform design and user behavior shape public discourse, identity performance, and emotional expression. This adaptive method offers a reflexive, culturally grounded lens on how platform affordances and user agency influence communication. Users engage in polarized debates and co-construct “us vs. them” distinctions, reinforcing collective identity and emotional loyalty. Rather than simply expressing opinions, they perform moral identities through declarations, reaction tools, and exclusionary language. These behaviors constitute a collective, iterative learning process wherein emotional expression becomes a key mode of participation and identity performance.

The study is guided by the following research questions to explore this phenomenon:(1) How do social media features and user behaviors reinforce emotional biases and negative perceptions of opposing viewpoints in online discourse?(2) In what ways are “us versus them” narratives constructed, enacted, and sustained within polarized communities?(3) Which platform affordances and discursive strategies empower or pressure possibilities for resistance, negotiation, and more nuanced or empathetic forms of engagement?

Thematic analysis yielded five central themes that illustrate how affective polarization unfolds in practice:(1) the affirmation of group identity,(2) the use of emotive and moralizing language,(3) the prevalence of defensive and resistant communication strategies,(4) patterns of antagonistic engagement, and(5) platform affordances that amplify emotional validation at the expense of reflective discourse.

These findings demonstrate that polarization is not merely an ideological divide but a socially reinforced and technologically structured phenomenon. Echo chambers form through algorithmic curation and feedback loops that reward emotional or hostile rhetoric. Users learn to navigate these dynamics by prioritizing quick alignment over deliberative dialogue. This research contributes to ongoing digital literacy and education discussions by showing how emotional engagement and platform design influence learning and public discourse. Existing frameworks often focus on misinformation or critical thinking but neglect online interaction’s affective and performative dimensions. This study advocates a broader model of critical digital literacy, including emotional awareness, recognition of affective manipulation, and space for reflective engagement. By conceptualizing affective polarization as a form of informal, technologically mediated learning, this study offers insight into the intersection of emotion, identity, and knowledge in digital life, with implications for pedagogical design, inclusive dialogue, and the future of democratic online spaces.

Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) is a research field occupied with how teaching and human learning can be supported through the help of digital tools for increased efficiency, effectiveness, learnability, and pedagogical values by applying verified learning theories supported by analyses of the data generated by the students’ activities. Research in TEL is closely related to a social mandate that is becoming eminent in education nowadays: digitalizing education in an accessible, ethical and sustainable way. Most literature on TEL has focused on technological aspects, pedagogical approaches, ethical considerations or accessibility concerns in isolation, often within different research communities. Also, with generative AI's broad and unpredictable impact, these gaps could widen further. This commentary paper aims to bridge these gaps by offering an integrated perspective addressing all three aspects—technology, pedagogy, and accessibility—while examining intersections and implications from multiple viewpoints. From a historical perspective, various educational technologies have facilitated the scaling of different pedagogies and contributed to students' understanding by enhancing personalized learning, expanding visualization possibilities, and improving access to learning materials. While television and radio enabled remote learning, technological advancements in recent decades have significantly increased accessibility, such as radio and TV learning programs, to the emergence of e-learning platforms, adaptive learning systems, and artificial intelligence-driven educational tools. However, it is essential to acknowledge that, despite these advancements, technology-supported educational tools often remain more accessible to learners from developed countries or those with a high socio-economic background who can afford the costs and possess the necessary skills for effective use of these tools.

This study examines how User Experience (UX) designers navigate challenges and develop strategies to promote human-centered design (HCD) principles, mainly empathy, inclusivity, and accessibility. Using a netnographic qualitative methodology, it investigates how UX professionals, particularly influencers, bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and real-world applications through social advocacy and professional practice. While empathy remains a foundational value in UX design, this study highlights persistent barriers, such as organizational resistance, limited accessibility training, and ethical concerns surrounding emerging technologies like AI. The research extends existing discussions by emphasizing the evolving role of UX professionals as practitioners and advocates for systemic change, influencing industry standards and shaping accessibility discourse. Findings suggest that accessibility remains under-prioritized despite its ethical and legal significance, necessitating proactive advocacy and structural reforms. By positioning UX influencers as key actors in the digital design landscape, this study contributes to the broader discourse on human-centered design, design ethics, and the intersection of social influence and digital accessibility. 

Accessibility influencers play a pivotal role in the broader accessibility movement, leveraging social media to raise awareness and shape public opinion. This study explores the distinct goals, communication styles, and approaches these influential figures employ to make complex legislative content more accessible and engaging. Utilizing netnography for data collection and conducting thematic analysis of interviews, this research highlights the crucial role of accessibility influencers in disseminating knowledge, advocating for universal design, and enhancing digital accessibility. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating accessibility principles into educational curricula, ensuring the development of a workforce capable of creating inclusive environments. Moreover, the study underscores the need for continuous professional development and systemic inclusion of accessibility training across all educational levels.

This study explores the collective identity formation process within Facebook groups as a form of dramaturgical practice, where community members align around shared norms, values, and culture. Identity in this context is linked to users’ contributions – comments that show agreement, resistance, or nuanced reflection. The research applies Netnography, a qualitative methodology tailored for social media studies, to understand interactions (Kozinets, 2020). It particularly focuses on Facebook as a platform that facilitates diverse textual expressions and the use of digital tools, requiring a certain level of skill for self-presentation (Mohamed, 2023; Goffman, 1959). The study raises critical considerations about power dynamics within these groups by examining the presence and impact of silent participants – those who observe but do not visibly contribute to the collective identity formation. The central inquiry questions the nature and formation of collective identities when the majority of participants are not actively engaging (Klandermans, & van Stekelenburg; Mohamed, 2023). By analyzing interaction within three distinct Facebook groups I mentioned the Rivals, The Guardians and the Stakeholders. The findings indicate that the Rivals group encourages polarized debates with a “hard” debate climate where differing opinions are expected and not considered normbreaking, unlike the Stakeholders group. In contrast, the Guardians group focuses on communitybuilding, maintained by specific gatekeepers and group support. The Stakeholders group is distinct in its open character, promoting both community and nuanced discussions, aiming to collaboratively establish a shared opinion for a common interest. The research assesses how these digital environments enable or limit interaction, and in turn, how they influence the emergence of a collective identity among both vocal and silent members (Mohamed, 2023). This study will contribute to understanding the role of silent participators in collective identity formation using netnography and Conversation Analysis to examine silence identity in social media (Kozinets, 2020; Farina, 2020).

Social media, not least Facebook, has in recent decades emerged as an important arena for interaction and identity formation. The overall aim of the thesis is to contribute with knowledge about how collective identity formation takes shape within groups in social media where social issues are discussed. Specifically, collective identity formation has been studied in three Facebook groups with different orientations. The theoretical starting point is constituted by a combination of a socio-cultural perspective and Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective. Methodologically, a qualitative, netnographic approach is used, supplemented with qualitative content analysis and conversation analysis. The results show how interaction in the Facebook groups is enabled and limited by the platform’s technical conditions as well as by different social conditions, norms and rules that frame these practices. Three types of interaction are distinguished, they are characterized by resistance, agreement and nuance respectively. Based on these three types of interactions, three collective identities are presented: Resistance identity, is formed through interaction that manifests a shared distance from something/someone; Solidarity identity, is formed through interaction that manifests common advocacy and/or celebration of something/someone and Negotiation identity, is formed through a joint effort to reflect on, negotiate and nuance the understanding of something/someone. From this overall result, two aspects are highlighted in the concluding discussion. The first aspect concerns interaction in social media and the second aspect concerns collective identity formation as learning.

This study explores how digital learning spaces with politically charged discussions are designed. A facebook group with politically charged content is analyzed to examine which affordances (Gibson, 1979; Kress, 2003) emerge and how these are used to create semi-formal learning and alternative places for communication. A social semiotic approach (Kress, 1997; 2003; Van Leeuwen, 2005; Selander & Kress, 2010; Jewitt, 2012) is used in combination with netnographic method (Kozinets, 2015), to investigate the particular aspects of designing for learning (Selander & Kress, 2010) in such semi-formal, digital, learning spaces. The results illustrate how traditional design aspects are intertwined with more modern, contemporary content. Learning democratic values, can be understood as one of the overarching themes in the facebook group. This is designed by using different symbols of diversity, in pictures and films (c.f. Jewitt, 2008). The need to understand the setting (c.f. Kress, 1997; Selander & Kress, 2010) and the sender in these kinds of social media (Boyd, 2014; Kozinets, 2020), is also discussed, in relation to what extent the users can act as agents of their own learning.