Lurkers or posters? How teacher identity influences self-presentation on social networking sites

The ways in which educational practitioners represent themselves on social networking sites (SNSs) continue to provoke discussion and potential controversy. This study investigates how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam manage their self-presentations within SNSs for professional learning purposes. Participants in this mixed methods study included 19 teachers in four focus-group interviews, and 393 respondents to an online survey. We applied teacher identity to interpreting teachers’ self-presentation on virtual platforms. Our findings reveal that although participants frequently use SNSs for professional learning, they prefer a lurking presence and less visible interaction. It is also evident that self-presentation on SNSs is not simply ‘represented’ or ‘reflected’. Rather, these teachers prefer their self-presentation to fit with how they are perceived in Vietnamese society. Teachers’ self-presentation within SNSs is thus robustly mediated by culture. The study contributes to the ongoing interest in teachers’ increasing use of SNSs in their professional lives.