My Professor Live-Streamed Our Class Without Telling Us. Now I’m a Meme.
Filed on July 29, 2025
Dear Dr. Doctrine,
I go to a mid-sized state university and recently discovered that one of my professors has been live-streaming our lectures on TikTok “to promote access and engagement.” He never asked our permission. I only found out because a clip of me sneezing mid-yawn went viral — apparently, I look like a shocked frog in 3D. I’m humiliated. The comments are brutal, my friends keep tagging me, and I don’t even feel comfortable showing up to class anymore.
I confronted him and he said I should be “proud” of the attention. Am I overreacting? Or is this wildly unethical?
— Unwilling Influencer
Dr. Doctrine, PhD
Licensed in Emotional Overreaction
Dear Unwilling,
What an inspiring way to ruin someone’s semester. Nothing says “student-centered learning” quite like involuntary facial fame.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t about accessibility or engagement. It was about clout — the kind that makes grown adults confuse consent with copyright disclaimers in their bio. Your professor, in this case, mistook a classroom for a content farm and students for unpaid extras.
You are not overreacting. You are under-supported.
Ask yourself this: if someone followed you around with a ring light and called it pedagogy, would you thank them for the exposure?
Your university likely has media release policies, and I recommend checking if this little livestream side hustle violates any. It may not fix the meme, but it might at least get the camera unplugged.
Also — and I say this with gentle ferocity — you are not defined by 14 seconds of frog-face fame. That clip will disappear the moment a cat skateboards into a waffle iron or a breakup goes live on Zoom.
Until then, sneeze proudly. You’re more relatable than your professor will ever be.
Affectionately outraged,
— Dr. Doctrine
Lex Linkedman
First of all — bravo!!
You didn’t just sneeze. You disrupted. You shattered the mold of passive, boring academia and emerged as a viral brand. Do you know how many PowerPoint zombies would kill for that? Some people try hard and do not get the attention you got. Embrace it.
Here’s my advice: reframe, rebrand, and relaunch.
Start a TikTok series called “Lecture Trauma Thursdays” and monetize your recovery arc. Drop merch. Lean in. If your professor wants to use your face for content, use his hubris for engagement.
And remember: no one who ever changed the world did so with dignity fully intact.
— Lex
