International Conference on Identities: Language and Literature Department of Greek, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini • October 9-11, 2015

FORMING EDUCATIONAL IDENTITIES ON FACEBOOK

Dr Mariza Georgalou

Lancaster University

www.marizageorgalou.com

AIM� Social media + education

(e.g. English & Duncan-Howell 2008)

� Social media + identity (e.g. Papacharissi 2011)(e.g. Papacharissi 2011)

How Facebook functions as a basis

and a conduit for displaying and

forming educational identities

in higher education.

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AGENDA

� Background of study

� Educational identity

� Educational identity on Facebook� Educational identity on Facebook

– actions and activities

– knowledge construction

– peer relations

� Concluding remarks

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BACKGROUND� Discursive construction of identity within

Facebook – Greek users (Georgalou 2014)

– construction + co-construction– multimodality – textual practices

� Theoretical + methodological frameworks� Theoretical + methodological frameworks

∙ constructionist approach to identity∙ discourse analysis∙ computer-mediated discourse analysis∙ multimodal discourse analysis∙ discourse-centred online ethnography:

observation + engagement (Androutsopoulos 2008)

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PARTICIPANTS & DATA

Alkis

· born 1981

· Athens, Greece

· BA Translation & Interpreting (Corfu)

· MSc Services Management (Athens), 2009-2011

· Greek, English, French, Italian� FB profile information� Status updates

Gabriel

· born 1990

· Athens, Greece

· BA International & European Studies (Piraeus)

· MA European & International Economics (USA), 2012-2013

· Greek, English, French, Spanish

� Status updates

� Comments

� Video & article links

� Photos

� Interview excerpts

� Field notes

� Informants’ comments on analysis

May 2010 – April 2013

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IDENTITY IN THE STUDY Categories derived from data6

EDUCATIONAL IDENTITY � Social structure + social perception +context of education (Moore 2006)

Educational identity is not part of the

curriculum, and it need not be: it takes place as

an apprenticeship in practice, whether the

� Provisionally assigned identity vs

process transcending time.

an apprenticeship in practice, whether the

school wants it or not. It is part and parcel of

the institutional package. It comes with the

diploma, and without it.Eckert & Wenger (1994)

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EDUCATIONAL IDENTITY II

• intellectual competence + knowledge � critical thinking + talking ‘smart’

Intelligence &knowledgeability

• peer interactions + social networking vis-à-vis Occupation

• peer interactions + social networking vis-à-vis future professional identities

• participation in activities (e.g. lectures, committees, internships, conferences)

Occupation &career

• sophisticated cultural tastes + interests

• new leisure activities + hobbies

• cultural diversityCosmopolitanism

Kaufman & Feldman (2004)8

ACTIONS & ACTIVITIESDoing work

I like the sound of the rain on the window, it’s nice to be warm under the duvet at home (one of the advantages of unemployment) but the fact that I must turn on the lights of the room in order to study, as if it was night, eh, no... that’s

� Operative verb� Study against different contexts

Alkis’s status

the room in order to study, as if it was night, eh, no... that’s why I’m a proponent of sunshine and not of dull weather... Gosh, what illumination so early in the morning.... Pff....

When I’m fine or I don’t have hassles (how did I remember this, it’s been years since it has happened to me!) or even when there is mobility, which means that I’m at an office (job)etc. I don’t care, but when I have (like now) to study all day, being from the morning with the lamp as if I’m in the secret school PROBABLY makes me care deeply...!!!!

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Alkis’s comment

ACTIONS & ACTIVITIESDoing work II

Entextualisation

Visual parallel with actions in duration

Alkis’s profile pic(24 Sept. – 10 Oct. 2011)

i think that all of us are somehow like this….i can’t i’m booooooored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Collective graduate student identity

It’s about time for me too I did my research for my dissertation and guess what: you can help me by devoting 6 minutes from your

� Self-commodification of identity (Fairclough 1995) by devoting 6 minutes from your

time! (Blood donation needs 10 minutes!) And if you share (Click Share here on Facebook) this event to other friends of yours that I happen not to know, you will help me even more, with just one click!

(Fairclough 1995)

� Facebook = speedy + cost-effective way to advertise +disseminate work

Recurrent posting to invite

Create event to announce + recruit

190 subjects in 24 hours!

KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION

� Hallmark in construction of educational identity = demonstrate knowledge +

Χρησιµοποιώ [το Facebook]

καθαρά ως µέσο προβολής µιας

συγκεκριµένης εικόνας

µου(κυρίως “επιστηµονικής”)

προς τους άλλους και ως

δίαυλο επικοινωνίας πάνω σε

τέτοιου είδους θέµατα.

I use [Facebook] exclusively demonstrate knowledge + entitled to speak on a topic � expertise (Myers 2004)

· disseminating links + info

· suggesting valuable +relevant tools (Gilpin 2010)

I use [Facebook] exclusively

as a means of projecting a

particular image of myself

(mainly “scholarly”) to

others and as a channel of

communicating topics of this

kind.

Gabriel (online interview)

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KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION II

� Directive to take action� Directive to take action

� No expert/authoritarian voice

� Reader decides what to do

PEER RELATIONSReciprocal conventions

� Building rapport with fellow studentsWhoever has 5-10 minutes max to help my friend

� Other-advertisement of research

� Evaluation

Whoever has 5-10 minutes max to help my friend [name] with the research for her dissertation! The

questionnaire is interesting!!

Female friend: done! PS:your friend [name] has a nicer research topic than you!!!Alkis: I couldn’t agree more!!! ☺ Can’t wait to see her results...!

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PEER RELATIONSPraising achievements

Under a photo depicting Gabriel on his graduation party

On Gabriel’s name day

Redirecting praising

Female friend: Bravo Gabriel!

Gabriel: Yet to tell the truth the graduation ceremony is a day of joy and harvest for teachers too! we weren’t self-taught!

Male friend on Gabriel’s Wall: happy name day Gabriel mate! may all your wishes come true!!! wish you’re always healthy, happy and keep on excelling in the department! ☺

� Praising in other speech events

� Presupposition15

PEER RELATIONSMembership categories

� Identification + solidarity with group

� Constructive strategies

1) Functionalisation (van Leeuwen 1996)1) Functionalisation (van Leeuwen 1996)

2) Inclusive ‘we’ – class referential specificity(Scheibman 2004)

Alkis: Dedicated to msmwrecks!Because we are all running like this [refers to a scene in ‘Lion King’ animation film] these days... ;-)

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And history repeats itself… Wewere grumbling, we didn’t have time, we were shouting, we just wanted it to end and now…:( Love you, let’s move on to new things :).

Female fellow student tags Alkis + 16 other students

PEER RELATIONSMembership categories II

� Facebook facilities to evoke membership

� Individuated inclusive ‘we’ (Scheibman 2004)

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CONCLUSIONFacebook participants defined by work in educational settings + backgrounds

· announce + inform about undertaken tasks

· complain + chat about study topics

· design research· design research

· disseminate work

· organise + promote student events

· share knowledge

· foster solidarity with fellow students (endorsing, extolling, giving credit, constructing collectives)

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CONCLUSION II Facebook as…� space for confluence of personal +

educational identities

� forum to display, monitor, co-construct, gain + mediate expertise

friendly + supportive environment for � friendly + supportive environment for socialisation in learning + formationof identities

� interactive inventory of activities +dynamic knowledge depository

� gateway for self-expression in cases of heavy workload

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Thank you!

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REFERENCES� Androutsopoulos, J. (2008). Potentials and limitations of discourse-centered online ethnography. Language@Internet 5, article 8. Retrieved from: (accessed 30 September 2015).

� Eckert, P. and Wenger, E. (1994). From school to work: An apprenticeship in institutional identity. Working Papers on Learning and Identity 1. Palo Alto: Institute for Research on Learning. Retrieved from (accessed 30 September 2015).from (accessed 30 September 2015).

� English, R. M. and Duncan-Howell, J. A. (2008). Facebook goes to college: Using social networking tools to support students undertaking teaching practicum. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching4(4): 596–601.

� Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. London: Longman.

� Georgalou, M. (2014). Constructions of identity on Facebook: A discourse-centred online ethnographic study of Greek users. PhD thesis. Lancaster University, UK.

� Gilpin, D. (2010). Working the Twittersphere: Microblogging as professional identity construction. In Z. Papacharissi (ed.) A networked self: Identity, community and culture on social network sites. New York: Routledge. 232–250.

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REFERENCES II� Kaufman, P. and Feldman, K. A. (2004). Forming identities in college: A sociological approach. Research in Higher Education 45(5): 463–496.

� Moore, E. (2006). Educational identities of adult university graduates. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 50(2): 149–163.

� Myers, G. (2004). Matters of opinion: Talking about public issues. Cambridge: Cambridge University � Myers, G. (2004). Matters of opinion: Talking about public issues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

� Papacharissi, Z. (ed.) (2011). A networked self: Identity, community and culture on social network sites. New York: Routledge.

� Scheibman, J. (2004). Inclusive and exclusive patterning of the English first person plural: Evidence from conversation. In M. Achard and S. Kemmer (eds.) Language, culture and mind. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications. 377–396.

� van Leeuwen, T. (1996). The representation of social actors. In C.R. Caldas-Coulthard and M. Coulthard (eds.) Texts and practices: Readings in critical discourse analysis. London: Routledge. 32–70.

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IMAGE SOURCESSlide 2: Social media logos (http://16days.thepixelproject.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/

Retro-Social-Media-Icons.jpg)

Student studying, © Olimpia Zagnoli (www.olimpiazagnoli.com)

Woman with laptop, © Olimpia Zagnoli (www.olimpiazagnoli.com)

Woman holding images of herself, © Olimpia Zagnoli (www.olimpiazagnoli.com) Woman holding images of herself, © Olimpia Zagnoli (www.olimpiazagnoli.com)

Slide 3: Woman reading, © Olimpia Zagnoli (www.olimpiazagnoli.com)

Slide 4: Facebook & Greece, © extend graphics (http://visual.ly/facebook-use-greece)

Slide 7: Brain feeding/working (http://cola.unh.edu/thecollegeletter/2014-05/case-liberal-arts-life-satisfaction)

Slide 18: Facebook college student pic (http://onlinelearningtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/facebook-school-600.jpg)

Slide 19: Asian father meme (www.quickmeme.com)

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