Professional Promotion of Higher School Teachers in Social Media Sites

Abstract

The article discusses strategies for using virtual social media sites by university teachers. The author focuses on strategies and methods for professional online communication and promotion of the results of one's work through social media, identifying the advantages and limitations of using virtual communication resources by teachers, as well as the results that users achieve (or wish to achieve). Empirically, the study bases on the of 108 semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with scientific and pedagogical staff of leading Russian universities. Informants are classified depending on their activity on social media sites and intentions towards professional promotion in the following way: (1) forming and developing a personal brand on social media sites; (2) maintaining the status of a research team, division, or organization; (3) using social media not for professional promotion, but for personal purposes and/or passive monitoring of other people's accounts; (4) choosing alternative professional promotion (outside social media); (5) absent from social media and considering professional promotion insignificant.

The analysis showed that teachers who are active in research and have developed information and communication competencies are more active in using social media for career advancement. The study develops a typology of strategies adopted by teachers for professional promotion and clarifies their key motivations for promotion on social media. The article might be of interest to researchers focusing on higher education and involved in the processes of personnel management or development of scientific and pedagogical workers, as well as to scientific journalists and heads of HR departments.

Acknowledgements. The study was prepared within the framework of project No. 19-18-00485 “The Human Dimension of the Transformation Processes of Russian Universities: Historical Experience, Trends, and Responses to the Contemporary Challenges” supported by the Russian Science Foundation.

The author expresses her gratitude to the head of the project Sorokin A.N. — Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Associate Professor, Director of the School of Environmental and Social Studies (“AnthropoSchool”, University of Tyumen) and Gribovsky M.V. — Doctor of Sci. (Hist.), Professor at the Department of Russian History (Tomsk State University), who together with the author of the article conducted expert interviews.