Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies (JSSHRS) · Research article · Open access
The Ontological Drift of Learning: Presence, Authority, And Instrumental Reason in AI Platforms
Wang Yingying, Mohd Ekram AI Hafis Bin Hashim
16 February 2026 · Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 116-121
DOI: 10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05
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What is this article about?
This article presents a conceptually rigorous, argument-driven paper on the ontological and ethical crisis of higher education in the age of AI-mediated learning and platformized new media. Higher education is undergoing an ontological drift: learning is increasingly framed as optimization, efficiency, and measurable outputs, which subtly erodes (a) lived presence in learning, (b) the ethical relation between teacher–student, and (c) the authority of knowledge as a shared, cultivated horizon.
Article at a glance
- Published
- 16 February 2026
- Volume / issue / pages
- Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 116-121
- ISSN
- 3051-3561 (online) · 3051-3553 (print)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 — free to read and reuse with attribution
- Peer review
- Double-blind, at least two independent reviewers
- Publisher
- EP Journals Group
Abstract
This article presents a conceptually rigorous, argument-driven paper on the ontological and ethical crisis of higher education in the age of AI-mediated learning and platformized new media. Higher education is undergoing an ontological drift: learning is increasingly framed as optimization, efficiency, and measurable outputs, which subtly erodes (a) lived presence in learning, (b) the ethical relation between teacher–student, and (c) the authority of knowledge as a shared, cultivated horizon. Treating AI not as a neutral tool but as a socio-technical mediator that reorganizes attention, temporality, accountability, and what counts as “understanding.”
Keywords: higher education, AI-mediated learning, platformised new media, ontological crisis, ethical crisis, phenomenology, critical theory
Cite this article
Wang Yingying, & Mohd Ekram AI Hafis Bin Hashim (2026). The Ontological Drift of Learning: Presence, Authority, And Instrumental Reason in AI Platforms. Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies, 2(2), 116-121. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05
@article{Wang2026,
title = {The Ontological Drift of Learning: Presence, Authority, And Instrumental Reason in AI Platforms},
author = {Wang Yingying and Mohd Ekram AI Hafis Bin Hashim},
journal = {Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies},
year = {2026},
volume = {2},
number = {2},
pages = {116-121},
doi = {10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05},
url = {https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05}
}Questions about this article
Who wrote this article?
Wang Yingying, Mohd Ekram AI Hafis Bin Hashim.
Where and when was it published?
In Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies, Volume 2, Issue 2, pages 116-121, published by EP Journals Group on 16 February 2026.
Is this article free to read?
Yes. It is open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence, so anyone can read, share and reuse it with attribution.
What is the DOI of this article?
10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05 (https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05).
How do I cite this article?
APA: Wang Yingying, & Mohd Ekram AI Hafis Bin Hashim (2026). The Ontological Drift of Learning: Presence, Authority, And Instrumental Reason in AI Platforms. Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies, 2(2), 116-121. https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E2/2026-05
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