Searching for discoveries with Instagram: touristification ‘from below’ in the German Ruhr

Abstract

The importance of social media for the production and imagination of tourist sites has long been acknowledged in tourism studies. Research on spatial exploration with social media has indicated that it can foster the development of certain forms of tourism. Yet, knowledge on how media technologies contribute to touristification processes ‘from below’ is still scarce. To address this gap, the paper combines theoretical considerations on social media-driven spatial exploration, understood as an ambiguous search for discoveries, with an analysis of ethnographic data on everyday explorations using Instagram. The data was derived from ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2017 and 2020 in the Ruhr Valley in Germany. Instagram is conceptualised in the theoretical framework as an emerging media technology. This helps to illuminate the various ways Instagram is entangled with the sensory and symbolic production of discoveries. Three forms of entanglement are identified: Instagram 1) affects the spatial perception on Insta-walks, 2) is used to alienate landscapes and romantically re-enchant them, and 3) offers the opportunity to share memes in which alienated spaces in the Ruhr Valley can be narratively framed as discoveries of potential tourist destinations.