Despite the flailing state of higher education, there seems to be an unprecedented thirst for knowledge out there. While universities struggle to connect, their value with society content creators, on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Twitch meet a thirsty publics’ want for knowledge. Not only meeting it, they’re exceeding all expectations for education and knowledge exchange.
Lacking vision and an appetite for creative innovation, universities’ approaches to engagement, marketing and communication are too often one-dimensional.
Compounded by an entrenched culture of risk aversion within universities, in an increasingly saturated media landscape homogenous content fails to cut through. All of this is in stark opposition to popular content creators, influencers and media producers who continue to thrive and dominate. They constantly innovate and utilise every creative tool at their disposal to engage audiences, and to grow and foster loyal communities of interest.
A misunderstanding fuels this tension: the purpose of online content. At least in the eyes of universities, online content is squarely focused on marketing. To raise brand awareness, to promote courses, to raise money etc. Often talking at people not with them, this approach runs in opposition to why and how audiences engage with online media in the first place.
Audiences want to learn something new and especially something weird. They want to be moved. They want to be inspired. Even though all of this aligns with the purpose and mission of many universities, right now, they aren’t delivering.
All of this cuts to the very core of universities’ purpose and their problems. They are places of teaching and research and the production and sharing of knowledge; but there is a growing rift between academia and society, where universities are not seen to be meeting societies’ needs, solving peoples’ problems or making their world a better place.
It isn’t just about making better higher ed videos. More of them. Or tapping into fads or memes.
Creative engagement content needs to be taken more seriously, and treated with innovation and creativity, so it can play a role in shifting the needle. Audiences want the knowledge that we have – but in a different package that we are too often reluctant or unable to give.
We need to address our resistance to moving our information to where people are looking and engaging, in order to reposition universities as leaders of critical discourse and important places of social impact.
Dan K Pearson has worked in the higher education sector for decades, producing video content for several universities and is now undertaking a PhD exploring how academics can more creatively translate their work to effectively engage non-academic audiences.
Dan will present at the HEFEST 25 Conference, providing insights into ways to better engage the public.