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Articles

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2022): Visual literacies and visual technologies for teaching, learning and inclusion

The visual performance of online identity: Instructor presence and persona across tools and settings

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.9e975efc
Submitted
8 August 2026
Published
15-08-2026

Abstract

This article uses instructor identity and presence as a proxy for exploring how visual elements are used to convey identity in online settings. By focusing on ways identity can be visually communicated within online course spaces (e.g., photos, graphical elements) and communications (e.g., use of memes and emoji), along with the effects of identity elements performed in other public online spaces (e.g., social media profiles), we show the complex and distributed ways that people perform identity. Instructors serve as a model for students, who in turn follow these cues and learn the boundaries of how to appropriately perform their own professional online identities. Implications for instructor professional development, student application of visual identity skills, and future research are discussed.

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