App-Hazard Disruption: An Empirical Investigation of Media Discourses on ChatGPT in Educational Contexts

Abstract Our paper traces the dominant social imaginaries of ChatGPT in educational contexts as these present in news media discourses. While media plays a central role in shaping the sociotechnical imaginaries we share on specific topics, media texts have thus far been used as the basis for such analysis only in limited instances. To remedy this gap, we apply a critical discursive psychology approach to a sample (N = 143) of news stories and opinion pieces published about ChatGPT in educational contexts in December 2022 and January 2023. Our analysis shows that socially irresponsible technology release tends to operate with relative impunity and lack of regard for social consequences entailed by such technology introduction. The educational sector reported finding itself struggling to address the implications from ChatGPT, in particular whether the central issue pertains to the ‘product’ of such technologies or the face-the-facts necessity of incorporating ChatGPT into educational processes.