How digital platforms like ChatGPT and Google for Education influence school environments

A new study published in the European Educational Research Journal reveals that digital technologies influence schools in ways that go far beyond classroom use or technical efficiency. The research highlights that platforms such as ChatGPT, Google for Education, Smartschool, and Microsoft 365 are not merely tools but shape the atmospheres, the collective moods, expectations, and organizational behaviors, within schools.

Titled “Feeling Infrastructures: How Digital Technology Matters Atmospherically for Schools”, the study presents findings from a three-year ethnographic investigation in four schools in Flanders, Belgium. It demonstrates that the adoption of digital infrastructures generates powerful emotional and organizational currents, shaping schools’ policies, practices, and even long-term values.

How digital infrastructures shape school atmospheres

The authors introduce the concept of “infrastructural atmospheres” to describe the subtle yet pervasive influence that digital platforms exert on educational institutions. These atmospheres affect how schools perceive their futures and prioritize innovation, not merely through technical functionalities but by altering collective perceptions and decisions.

The research identifies two dominant atmospheric forces:

• Anticipation: This pattern was evident in schools such as Apollo and Hermes, where the emergence of ChatGPT and other AI-based infrastructures created a shared sense of urgency and curiosity. Even before such technologies were fully integrated, their arrival spurred educators to rethink assignments, explore potential AI uses in learning management systems such as Moodle, and discuss how to prepare students for AI-driven futures. The anticipation acted as an organizing force, steering institutional energy toward proactive adaptation.

• Legitimation: In other schools, such as Artemis and Athena, the adoption of large-scale ecosystems like Google for Education or Smartschool combined with Microsoft 365 fostered a sense of validation and reliability. These platforms provided an aura of trustworthiness that encouraged schools to deepen their reliance on specific proprietary tools, even shifting institutional preferences away from open-source alternatives. This legitimation process solidified the role of these platforms within schools’ infrastructures and shaped long-term digital strategies.

The study argues that these atmospheric effects operate largely in the background but have profound implications for how schools evolve. By influencing decision-making cultures, they drive the direction of institutional change even before tangible outcomes, such as curriculum revisions or technology investments, materialize.

Organizational shifts and long-term implications for schools

According to the researchers, these infrastructural atmospheres can reshape collective orientations, professional practices, and institutional commitments in significant ways. In the case of anticipation, schools often initiate policy conversations, invest in new training, and redesign teaching materials to align with perceived future technological needs. This anticipatory environment effectively accelerates institutional readiness for emerging technologies.

Legitimation, by contrast, creates a reinforcing loop: once a particular platform is established as the trusted solution, it becomes harder for schools to consider alternatives. The sense of security and efficiency associated with well-known brands drives ongoing investment and loyalty, sometimes at the expense of open-source solutions or innovative alternatives. Over time, this can lead to a form of infrastructural lock-in, where schools’ options for future change become constrained by past choices.

The authors note that these processes reveal how digital infrastructures can subtly shape not only technical workflows but also the values and priorities that guide educational governance. Decisions about which platforms to adopt often carry implicit assumptions about pedagogy, data management, and even the relationship between teachers and technology. The research underscores that such decisions have lasting atmospheric effects on school culture.

Rethinking educational futures in the age of digital platforms

The study’s findings challenge the traditional view that digital tools are neutral add-ons to schooling. Instead, the authors argue that digital infrastructures actively participate in shaping the educational environment, influencing how schools imagine their futures and how they position themselves in broader educational landscapes.

For policymakers and education leaders, this means that discussions about digitalization must go beyond technical specifications and cost-benefit analyses. The researchers highlight the importance of understanding how infrastructural atmospheres drive collective moods and institutional commitments, often steering decision-making in ways that escape formal planning.

By conceptualizing these dynamics through “atmospheric thinking”, the study opens a new avenue for educational research. It invites schools, governments, and technology providers to reflect on how the emotions and expectations associated with particular digital platforms can shape not only present practices but also the trajectory of educational reform.

The research suggests that recognizing these atmospheric influences is crucial for ensuring that schools maintain agency and adaptability in a rapidly changing digital landscape. As schools continue to integrate AI-based tools and platform ecosystems, being aware of these subtle forces can help them balance innovation with critical reflection, ensuring that their choices serve educational values rather than simply following market or technological trends.