English language teachers’ social media branding: mapping the construction and perception of brand identities on Instagram

Abstract Despite the popularity of social media branding, research on how English teachers utilize these platforms to build their personal brands is limited. This study aims to explore how teachers establish their brand identities on Instagram and how their followers perceive them. The research used narrative frames (NFs) and in-depth semi-structured interviews with six English teachers and three of their followers each. The NFs explored brand identity construction and motivations, while the interviews delved into teachers’ experiences and aspirations regarding their brand identities. The same procedure was used to gather data from followers, examining their perceptions of the teachers’ identities. Thematic analysis revealed three main brand identities that teachers aim to establish on Instagram: role model self, professional self, and influencer self. These themes also emerged from the followers’ data. The findings have important implications for language teacher education and research, highlighting the intersection of social media and teacher identity.