Abstract

In the current study, university students' perceptions about the lecturers’ self-narrative shares on social media were examined. As a result of these perceptions, it’s also aimed to reveal the differences and the similarities between the lecturers’ self-narrations and the students’ perceptions. The study was analyzed using different forms of analysis based on four qualitative data collection techniques (qualitative thematic content analysis, descriptive analysis, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, electronic data-based document analysis). In this context, the research primarily consists of examining the self-narrative shares of the lecturers’, who interact with the university students on social media. Afterwards, the students' perceptions about the self-narrations of the lecturers, which are created on social media, were investigated, and the similarities and differences between the two were revealed.  As a result of the research, it was concluded that the students were curious about the shares of their lecturers. the self-narrations of the lecturers were formed by the expectations of the society and the students, only the positive aspects of the self-narrations were shown, and the self-narrations were performed in accordance with the social values. Being a university student makes the shares of the lecturers’ more acceptable. Moreover, it has been revealed that; the lecturers’ self-narratives are not consistent with their real life, and apart from their teaching roles the lecturers perform their self-narrations both in  'visual' and 'visual and written' forms. The self-narrations of the lecturers have feminine language and egalitarian discourse content, whereas masculine/feminine visual shares are perceived differently. In addition, it has also been found out that, lecturers are expected to share their self-narrations in the form of model behaviour patterns and professional identities by the students who follow them. As a result of the findings which are obtained from the study, how self-narration posts of the lecturers in social media are performed and perceived by the university students have been revealed. According to the results of the following research, suggestions regarding the necessity of self-control in the shares of the lecturers can be brought on.