SofiaUnplugged

When someone mentions the words ‘social media’ the first app that comes to my mind is Instagram. This may be because it was the first type of social media I was allowed to get when I turned 13 and I have grown up using it. Instagram is known for its versatile operation methods, including features such as being able to post a story, or posting to a feed. It also features components such as being able to message and call people who use the app. Instagram has also considered the privacy of people with the ability to turn an account private which makes it even more user friendly and suited to many audiences. With a Pinterest-like aesthetic I, much like many other people, find myself finding inspiration on Instagram when I comes to anything such as how I want my room to be designed, to hairstyles and makeup I want to try.  

People want to ‘glamify’ their Instagram’s to make it look like they have the perfect life, although, this isn’t always a good thing. Instagram’s minimum age requirement is 13 which means that young teenagers are being influenced by people on social media by something which might not targeted towards their age group. For example, many models and fitness influencers post images of their thin figure, though not intended for an adolescent audience, can influence young people who aspire to look like them. It is not only young audiences exposed to their insecurities by people posting on social media, but they are more vulnerable to these trends. Additionally, recently advertisements have become more regular on everyday feeds trying to entice people to buy products, making Instagram less appealing and more ad focused. Social media has challenged audiences to question their identity “the symbolic space of identity is increasingly located in media narratives.” (R Pennington 2018). Pennington’s article specifically focuses on the cultural aspect which people are losing as they create strong connections to people online who they aspire to be like.  

Social media is a great place to share images of your life with friends and family, and to share common interests with others. It allows for fantastic. Connectivity between people such as family and friends regardless of distance or borders, therefore strengthening relationships. The most common way people tend to use Instagram is by posting to a feed or story, fostering a way of being able to creatively express yourself to your friends and family. This could include many examples such as images from a holiday to a project you have to work on for an assignment. People also use social media as an outlet to express their political and ethical views. Especially in times of political turmoil, audiences turn to social media to encourage voices of the public to have their say and spread their opinion.  

From a professional stance, I believe social media and specifically Instagram is a fantastic tool to get a development flow happening. Features such as creator tools, sponsored advertisements, scheduled posts etc can help to build a professional lens on an Instagram page. Furthermore, if I were to use any social media for a business account, I believe Instagram would be the most appropriate and would work well with a young target audience.  

Reference list 

Alkhowaiter, W. (2016). The Power of Instagram in Building Small Businesses. Social Media: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, [online] 9844, pp.59–64. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45234-0_6. 

Pennington, R. (2018). Social Media as third spaces? Exploring Muslim identity and connection in Tumblr. [online] Article. Available at: https://moodle.uowplatform.edu.au/pluginfile.php/5727209/mod_resource/content/1/W4%20BCM111%201748048518802208.pdf [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024].