Exploring Teachers' Experiences in Social Media Content Creation

This phenomenological study investigated how Department of Education (DepEd) teachers in the Philippines experience and interpret their engagement in social media content creation alongside formal teaching responsibilities. In a context characterized by high digital participation and expanding creator economies, the study specifically analyzed motivations, identity construction, boundary-setting practices, monetization decisions, and instructional adaptations shaped by sustained online engagement. Five purposively selected public-school teachers from the elementary and secondary levels, each with a minimum of six months of active content creation experience, participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a systematic phenomenological procedure guided by Creswell’s six-step framework. Trustworthiness was established through credibility checks, audit trails, reflexive bracketing, and thematic validation. The study identifies eight main themes: (1) Passion Meets Platform: The Spark Behind the Screen; (2) Balancing Acts: Navigating Dual Roles with Grit; (3) Beyond the Classroom: Growth, Gains, and Gratitude; (4) Redefining the Teacher Identity: Empowerment Through Expression; (5) Ethics and Boundaries: Navigating Professionalism in the Digital Space; (6) From Stress to Self-Care: Content Creation as Emotional Outlet; (7) Monetization as Motivation: The Financial Frontier of Teaching; and (8) Inspiring by Example: Teachers as Digital Role Models. Results indicate that participants deliberately engineered their digital identities, applied platform analytics to refine communication strategies, and constructed public personas aligned with institutional expectations and audience demands. The most significant realization was that teachers can and should systematically study how content creators navigate digital infrastructures, shape public identities, and strategically deploy online tools for the benefit of their students. The study demonstrates that teacher influencers function as pedagogical practices beyond the classroom, a strategy for income generation, and an intentional redefinition of professional roles under conditions of constant online visibility and audience feedback.