The gentrification of mentorship: How influencers are re-shaping prestige in platform-driven academia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This conceptual paper explores how platform society influences academic prestige. It argues that mentorship, traditionally rooted in the relationship between a professor and a student, is becoming commercialised. This commercialisation turns mentorship into engaging performances of advice and self-promotion, positioning academics as influencers. By analysing tourism and hospitality through an interpretive and heuristic approach, the paper categorises academic influencers as gatekeepers, entrepreneurs, aspirers, and outsiders to exemplify various forms of digital authority.
Source: Tourism and Hospitality Research
Authors: Hakan Sezerel, Viachaslau Filimonau
Institutions: Anadolu University, University of Surrey
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7204437993