Visual Social Media Platforms Research Articles

“Vanity fair on Instagram”: The roles of vanity, materialism, social comparison, Instagram usage intensity, and market mavenism in social commerce

The present article is an attempt to offer insights into interconnections among consumer personality, individual difference factors, Instagram usage behavior, and luxury fashion brand attitude in contemporary Web 2.0 technological environments. To this end, the study particularly focused on Instagram, a highly visual social media platform, mostly used in the form of a mobile app. Instagram fits the purpose of consumers’ vanity. Personality mechanisms, known to produce effects of personality traits on digital technology usage behaviors, that shape consumer behavior in the context of Instagram usage and luxury fashion brand consumption were examined. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among actual Instagram users recruited from M-Turk Prime Panel. A series of structural equation models (SEM) were estimated using Mplus 8. Two structural equation models are estimated: one with objective Instagram usage frequency, and the other with subjective Instagram usage intensity. Results show dynamic associations among Instagram users’ personality variables, individual difference factors, Instagram usage frequency/intensity, and luxury brand involvement. In light of the power of Instagram in luxury fashion branding, the current study proposes a variety of personality mechanisms and individual difference factors (vanity, materialism, social comparison orientation, obsessive-compulsive/impulsive buying tendency, and market mavenism) that shape Instagram users’ attitude toward and involvement with luxury fashion brands in Web 2.0 social commerce.

A Study on the Impact of Social Media Platforms and Financial Advertisements on Youth and Their Lifestyle in Mumbai

An extensive research endeavour spanning an entire year investigates the complex interplay among financial advertisements, social media platforms, and the lifestyles of the youth residing in Mumbai. Commencing with the formation of a riding school, the research investigates a range of operational facets, including financial resources, equine grooming operations, and strategic partnerships with Mahalaxmi Racecourse. By employing SPSS software for comprehensive statistical analyses, this study reveals significant findings regarding the impact of social media on young individuals' body image, lifestyle preferences, and financial decision-making. Fundamentally, the results demonstrate a noteworthy positive association between the utilization of visual social media platforms and apprehensions regarding body image, thereby emphasizing the psychological ramifications of online exposure. Furthermore, the study demonstrates a significant correlation between heightened social media utilization and a deterioration in both physical and mental health, underscoring the importance of developing a more nuanced comprehension of digital participation. Regression analyses illuminate the influential effect that financial advertisements have on the investment propensity and consumer decisions of young individuals. The research additionally underscores the significant impact that social media has on the way of life of the youth in Mumbai, acknowledging both favourable and unfavourable aspects. It is worth noting that age and educational background are not considered substantial factors in determining social media influence. This emphasizes the need to acknowledge and account for individual variations in digital engagement. Moving forward, it is suggested that further investigation be conducted into particular categories of content found on social media platforms that have a substantial influence on body image concerns and lifestyle choices. It is recommended to conduct long-term analyses of the relationship between social media usage and well-being in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of causality and durable effects. Furthermore, the study promotes the investigation of cultural subtleties that impact social media, the ethical implications of financial advertising, and the influence of peer relationships on social media on the decisions and behaviours of young people. In summary, this study reveals a complex and multifaceted account of the dynamic relationship among financial advertisements, social media, and the way of life of young individuals residing in Mumbai. Academics, policymakers, and practitioners will benefit from the findings, which urge a comprehensive comprehension of the digital influence on the younger generation. The study not only investigates immediate conjectures but also establishes a groundwork for subsequent inquiries into the continuously developing domain of the influence of social media on the conduct and welfare of young individuals.

Tell Me an Instagram Story: Ephemeral Communication and the 2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Political campaigns are embracing the visual social media platform Instagram. One digital feature, the Story, has taken over feed sharing across social media. A Story is a sequence of images or videos uploaded to a profile that disappear after 24 hours. The Story is a novel feature relatively unexamined in political communications and marketing research. Specifically, it is unclear how Gubernatorial candidates employ the Instagram Story feature in campaigning. To address this gap, we content analyze 730 Instagram Stories drawn from 20 Gubernatorial candidate accounts one week before and after Election Day 2018. Results reveal that over half of the candidates employed the Story feature over the two-week period. The Story content primarily included indoor rallies and speeches rather than outdoor canvassing. Campaigns featured more static images than video in Stories and rarely used interactive features, such as animation, location tags, and emojis. Stories were also geared toward mobilization messages rather than voter support, behind-the-scenes looks, and attack ads. Last, some gender and political party differences were evident, as women and Democratic candidates utilized Instagram more.

The Image War Moves to TikTok Evidence from the May 2021 Round of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The increasing mediatization of war makes battles over public image evermore prominent. Individual citizens, no longer mediated by traditional gatekeepers, engage in public diplomacy and citizen-journalism, communicating directly to the public. TikTok, a visual social media platform, was used extensively by Palestinians and Israelis to mobilize international support during the 2021 round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This paper examines appeals that Israeli and Palestinian TikTok users made to international audiences by comparing 318 posts sampled from two rhetorically equivalent hashtags. A content analysis examining the strategies used, found that each side emphasized different themes (e.g., victimization on the Israeli side, personal narratives on the Palestinian side). Although pro-Israeli users were more strategic in their use of the platform’s features, a multi-variate analysis of engagement found that pro-Palestinian activists were more successful in creating engagement. To further understand the complex and subtle meaning structures encoded into the posts, a subsample of 42 highly shared posts was probed qualitatively for its aesthetics and values, using a semiotic analysis. A first study to compare public diplomacy efforts on TikTok across parties, this paper contributes to knowledge about the ways citizens bear witness from warzones, use platform affordance for storytelling, and engage with the international community.

The Analysis of Netspeak Used on Instagram

Analyzing netspeak used on Instagram involves examining the linguistic and communicative features that are common on the platform. Instagram is a highly visual social media platform, and while it primarily revolves around sharing images and videos, text-based communication in the form of captions, comments, and direct messages plays a crucial role in enhancing the user experience and conveying meaning. This study attempts to discover the use of written communication features on researchers Instagram explore bar. The qualitative method is applied and the data was gathered through observation and documentation and then analyzed in terms of graphology, typography, grammar, vocabulary, and discourse features. This research found some distinctive graphic features such as emojis, correct spelling, lack of punctuation, hashtags, and turn-taking that presents unique coherence and chronological order. The result highlights the complex aspects available in the data, including informality and anomalies that frequently break the rules of conventional language enforced by internet users. Furthermore, the discovery demonstrates that written language development on Netspeak is a method for overcoming expressive obstacles in Instagram communication.

An exploration and comparison of #BodyPositivity and #BodyNeutrality content on TikTok

TikTok, one of the most popular visual social media platforms, has been criticized for perpetuating and glorifying eating disorders. In response, content focused on body positivity (loving your body) is growing on TikTok. However, body positivity content on other social platforms promotes positive body image but also perpetuates unrealistic beauty ideals. Body neutrality (deemphasizing the focus on the body's appearance) is an alternative concept that could portray less harmful content, but has yet to be explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore and compare the content under #BodyPositivity and #BodyNeutrality on TikTok. One hundred and fifty TikToks under each hashtag were downloaded. A thematic analysis of the TikToks was conducted. Three themes were generated that captured content across both hashtags, with only minor differences in content between the two: (1) Resisting societal ideologies (with subtheme: Normalizing insecurities), (2) (Re)producing disordered content (with subtheme: Toxic (body) positivity promotes the need for neutrality), and (3) Social critique. Within the themes, there was the promotion of body positivity through self-love and body acceptance, but also content that continued to emphasize standard beauty ideals and the thin-ideal. Certain TikToks provided educational content that explained the roots of the #BodyPositivity movement and what #BodyNeutrality means as a potentially more realistic approach to body acceptance. Findings suggest that #BodyNeutrality may provide a safer space for individuals online, and future research should assess the impact of such TikToks on those viewing them to assess body and eating attitudes and behaviours.

#sustainablefashion on Instagram: A content and network analysis of user‐generated posts

AbstractThe social and environmental impacts of the global fashion industry face increasing scrutiny. As such, consumers and brands look towards ‘sustainable fashion’ for low‐impact alternatives. Simultaneously, visual social media platforms such as Instagram have become prevalent places for fashion advertising and discourse. To investigate this under‐researched area, the current study utilises visual content and social network analysis to explore how sustainable fashion is presented on Instagram, specifically: (a) what visual characteristics are present within sustainable fashion content, and (b) in what broader contexts and communities is discussion of sustainable fashion taking place? Posts included under the hashtag #sustainablefashion (N = 650) were inspected for visual characteristics, including type of clothing, presence of person, post setting, presence of nature, and post format. Most posts were photographs located indoors with no person and no nature‐based elements. The hashtags used alongside #sustainablefashion were analysed with Gephi software to establish a social network and community groups of related topics. Network analysis revealed four key community groups: online‐promotional, artisan‐traditional, eco‐ethical, and Malay‐online‐selling. Secondhand fashion also appeared to be the most prominent sustainable fashion alternative on Instagram. This study is one of the first to investigate the characteristics of user‐generated #sustainablefashion content on Instagram. Whilst social media is a burgeoning avenue for research, existing studies primarily investigate how these platforms can be harnessed for advertising, rather than what users themselves are already posting. Implications for brands who use this platform and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Reading, sharing, creating Pinterest recipes: Parental engagement and feeding behaviors

Pediatric overweight and obesity are associated with serious health concerns both during childhood and in adulthood. Visual social media platform Pinterest is often used to curate recipe content, but little is known about how, if at all, parents use the platform as a resource for meal planning for their families.This study focused on (1) describing how Pinterest using parents use the platform related to recipe searches and meal planning and (2) examining the association between parental feeding behaviors and frequency of Pinterest use related to recipes.Survey research firm Qualtrics was used to collect a nationwide sample of 659 Pinterest-using parents with children between ages 3–11 years of age. Data collection was initiated and completed in February of 2019. Measures included both parent and child demographics, Pinterest recipe use and engagement, and parental feeding practices using the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ).Results showed that 26.9% of the respondents reported using Pinterest daily to read recipes, 17.9% to share recipes; 14.9% to comment on recipes on Pinterest; 10.3% reported creating and posting new recipes; and 13.8% mentioned making a recipe they find on Pinterest daily.Pinterest engagement was significantly negatively associated with parental age and with income insecurity, while positively associated with level of education. Hispanic participants showed higher levels of engagement as compared to White non-Hispanic participants. Among the CFQ subscales, Pressure and Perceived responsibility were significantly positively associated with Pinterest engagement while Monitoring and Restriction were not.

Beyond the shallows of physical attractiveness: Perfection and objectifying gaze on Instagram

Due to the extensive use of highly visual social media platforms such as Instagram, body image exposure has become a common practice. Specifically, the use of idealized women’s bodies in different sectors of promotion and on social media has been subject to much criticism. The awareness of the negative outcomes of objectifying content triggered movements towards natural body exposure. However, empirical studies on the perceived effectiveness of this use are still needed. In this article, we compare how idealized versus natural women’s bodies are perceived by Instagram users by means of an experimental procedure conducted with 700 users of this platform. We apply the Mann-Whitney U test and PLS-SEM to evaluate how physical attractiveness and idealization are related to the objectifying gazes. Our results suggest that overall publishing potentially objectifying content online is an accepted behavior, especially for more active Instagram users. Besides, both extremes of attractiveness, i.e. idealized beauty and perceived lack of attractiveness are subjected to stronger objectifying, than more natural-looking models. Thus, our paper contributes theoretically and empirically to the research on objectification by extending our knowledge of the factors that drive objectification and its acceptance among social media users. The implications of the emphasis on female bodily appearance on digital presence and the practices of digital influencers are discussed.

The Effects of Embedded Skin Cancer Interventions on Sun-Safety Attitudes and Attention Paid to Tan Women on Instagram.

Background and ObjectivesBecause of high skin cancer risks for young women, it is vital that effective interventions reach and influence this demographic. Visual social media platforms, like Instagram, are popular with young women and are an appropriate intervention site; yet, they also host competing images idealizing tan skin. The present study tested the ability of digital sun-safety interventions to affect self-control-related emotions and visual attention to subsequent tan-ideal images as well as sun-safety attitudes.MethodsWomen were recruited from a large public Mid-Atlantic university in the United States. Participants (N = 120) were randomly assigned to view an appearance benefits intervention, a self-control emotions intervention, or a control message, each designed to look like an Instagram sponsored story. After self-reporting self-compassion and anticipated pride, participants then viewed seven pairs of Instagram posts featuring either tan or pale women while an eye tracker assessed visual attention. Finally, participants self-reported their responses to questions assessing sun-safety-related norms, efficacy, and attitudes.ResultsA mixed design analysis of covariance revealed that women who first viewed the appearance benefits intervention story spent less time visually fixated on Instagram images of tan women than did those who viewed the self-control emotions intervention or control message (p = 0.005, = 0.087). Regressions also revealed interactions between the intervention conditions and feelings of anticipated pride on both visual attention and sun-safety attitudes.ConclusionSponsored stories on Instagram can promote sun-safety attitudes, depending on the emotional responses they generate. Additionally, sponsored interventions can affect subsequent visual attention.

‘Good food’ in an Instagram age: Rethinking hierarchies of culture, criticism and taste

Through historical, economic and technological contextualisation and empirical data analysis, this article explores the cultural purchase the image-sharing app Instagram and the printed Michelin Guide have on contemporary food criticism. Both platforms contribute to popular understandings of ‘good food’. Yet, there are important functional and discursive distinctions in how culinary criticism is done in Instagram vis-à-vis Michelin. To that end, this article focuses on London’s restaurant scene and proposes the concept of the Instagram gaze as a means of understanding the representational repertoires and knowledge claims advanced by foodies on visual social media platforms. The Instagram gaze also facilitates insight into the relationship between Instagrammers’ culinary judgements and Michelin’ s.

Suicide on YouTube:Factors engaging viewers to a selection of suicide-themed videos.

Visual social media platforms can function as both facilitators and intervenors of concerning behaviors. This study focused on one of the health concerns worldwide, a leading cause of death related to mental health-suicide-in the context of a dominant visual social media platform, YouTube. This study employed content analysis method to identify the factors predicting viewer responses to suicide-themed content from the perspectives of who's, what's, and how's of suicide-themed videos. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression showed that the characteristics of content provider and content expression were more significant predictors of viewer engagement than were the characteristics of the message. These findings have implications for not only platform service providers but also diverse groups of individuals who participate in online discussions on suicide. YouTube has the potential to function as a locus for open discussion, education, collective coping, and even the diagnosis of suicidal ideation.

Craniofacial Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilisation on Instagram.

Patients, parents, and carers are increasingly using social media to access and contribute to health information. There are currently 3.484 billion active social media users. Instagram is a primarily visual social media platform for sharing photographs and videos with currently over one billion monthly active users. Limited research has investigated the use of Instagram in healthcare contexts including plastic surgery, and in the treatment of specific conditions, such as fibromyalgia and scoliosis. This study aimed to investigate the use of Instagram in relation to craniofacial surgery. The authors investigated the use of 12 Instagram craniofacial surgery-related hashtags. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected for each of the "top" nine posts associated with each hashtag. Duplicate posts, posts not in English and those not relevant to craniofacial surgery were excluded.Thematic analysis was then used to qualitatively evaluate the captions and comments of each of the nine "top" posts associated with each hashtag. A total number of 151,738 posts were identified using the 12 hashtags queried in the present study, with #craniofacial being the most popular hashtag (87% of posts). Parents (n = 25, 33%) and surgeons (n = 25, 33%) were responsible for the majority of posts. A heterogenous group were responsible for the remaining 34% of posts.Results indicated that parents and surgeons posted significantly different images (chi-squared with Yates correlation is 25.0519, P < 0.00001). Parents' posts were predominantly images of their child/patients (n = 24) compared to posts about patients by surgeons (n = 6). Posts by surgeons were predominantly images of professionals (n = 14) compared to images of professionals posted by parents (n = 1).Results of qualitative analysis of captions of posts indicated a significant difference in themes that emerged between parents and surgeons; with surgeons largely using Instagram for information giving, and parents for sharing of experiences (chi-square (n = 108) = 40.83, P < 0.00001).There was a significant difference (two-tailed t test, P = 0.002) in engagement (measured by the number of likes on posts) on posts by parents (mean = 3778) compared to posts by surgeons (mean = 135.4). Results indicate that craniofacial-surgery related posts on Instagram provide a medium to allow individuals and families with rare disorders to connect and share their experiences. The use of Instagram to share information about craniofacial abnormalities via Instagram has the potential to be used by healthcare professionals to educate and support patients and families.

Managing the Image. The Visual Communication Strategy of European Right-Wing Populist Politicians on Instagram

The visual social media platform Instagram is a popular tool for political image building. Drawing on image management theory as well as right-wing populist and visual communication, this study explores how eight European leading politicians of right-wing populist parties present themselves on Instagram. The aim is to provide a first insight into relevant characteristics and patterns of their Instagram communication. The approach is twofold: A comprehensive visual content analysis (N = 724) is followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components. Three types of messages were identified, the most important ones being the creation of a professional image and the demonstration of closeness to citizens. Surprisingly few of the categories considered as relevant for right-wing populist communication were detected. At the individual level, politicians differ in the messages they emphasize.

#TripleNegativeBreastCancer on Instagram.

Little is known about how triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is discussed on the visual social media platform, Instagram. A greater understanding of the experiences of TNBC survivors that are documented on this platform may inform us of how this group of survivors cope with this rare, but aggressive form of breast cancer. This study analyzed a random sample (N = 501) of Instagram posts using the hashtag #triplenegativebreastcancer. Using a quantitative content analysis, posts were coded for the presence of health belief model constructs as well as the presence of treatment-related experiences, social support, and hereditary breast cancer genetic mutations (BRCA 1/2). Our findings suggest that health organizations and agencies are not utilizing Instagram as a conduit of health communications about TNBC to reach individuals worldwide. This article provides insights into potential strategies that can be used by these entities to promote user engagement with posts about TNBC, such as utilizing health messaging that is episodic in nature, uses supportive and encouraging words, and provides information about chemotherapy.

Pinning Despair and Distress - Suicide-Related Content on Visual Social Media Platform Pinterest.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that an individual dies by suicide every 40s. Aim: Our aim was to analyze how suicide is portrayed on the visual social media platform Pinterest. Method: This study used a quantitative content analysis of 500 suicide-related Pinterest posts. Content codes included the presence of factors related to the WHO media reporting guidelines. Results: The majority of posts were published by individual Pinterest users, with public and mental health entities rarely present. Suicidal ideation content was more prevalent in visuals than in accompanying text on Pinterest. Considering the WHO media suicide-reporting guidelines, posts featured more helpful than harmful content, but explicit details of suicides and suicide attempts were still prevalent. Finally, comments were more likely to identify with suicidal ideation or post negative content than post supportive content. Limitations: Content analysis cannot discern motivations behind posts; future studies should include other methods. Conclusion: This study suggests there is a critical need for further research into Pinterest and suicide-related topics.

The citizen drone: protest, sousveillance and droneviewing

In this article we will discuss the use of drones, as well as the visual simulation of drone afforded aesthetics, by activists, artists and protesters. We use the existing literature of surveillance studies and visual studies to examine how exactly a drone-afforded visibility emerges and how it mediates the visibility of a particular community or space of contention. We draw on the concepts of “surveillance capacities” and (counter) visibility practices to analyse the process and production of drone (and drone-simulated) counter surveillant artist/activist visibility. The article makes several key points. The first one concerns the construction of protest space and the protest site volumetrically from the airborne perspective of the citizen drone via an assemblage of artist/activist practices. These practices include the use of drones, as well as drone-simulated imagery. The latter includes, DIY aerial camera rigs attached to kites and the use visual social media platforms such as Instagram to curate otherwise less visible military drone geographies more ‘real’ and proximate. The second concerns the visibility of subjects engaged in the protest space. And finally, we elaborate how events are presented dynamically (rhythmically) through drone videos and a drone-afforded visual grammar. Our assumption is that drones, as well as drone-simulated imagery allow the user to generate a hybrid participative (inclusive) visibility that makes protest more spectacular through its volumetric vision, subverting the visibility of control while striving for visibility of recognition. Overall, this article seeks to further elaborate on the visual turn within sociology, specifically in relation to what are now commonplace volumetric practices of power, representation and participation.

Pinning Pink: Messages About Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk on Pinterest.

Social media messages and conversations provide an opportunity to study what users post about cancer risk and preventive behaviors. Personal stories of early detection, treatment, and survivorship are often shared. The purpose of this study was to examine the hereditary breast cancer-focused posts on the understudied visual social media platform Pinterest. Using systematic random sampling, n = 500 Pinterest posts (referred to as "pins") were collected using the keywords "breast cancer" and "genetic testing" in the late 2017. Using a quantitative content analysis, pins were coded for a variety of categories including poster identity, pin characteristics and content, the presence of Health Belief Model constructs, and engagement variables (i.e., repins/saves and comments). The primary findings of this study reveal that most pins were published by individuals and relatively few messages contained specific information about genetic testing. Study results also describe how Pinterest users interact with the content, including higher engagement with information-rich visuals and traditional breast cancer awareness symbols. The information gained from this study may serve as the foundation for better understanding how social media can be used to communicate with women about heritable breast health-related cancers, risks, and protective behaviors. Study results prompt practical recommendations for public health organizations interested in reaching women seeking information about heritable breast cancer on Pinterest.

Compliance With FDA Nicotine Warning Statement Provisions in E-liquid Promotion Posts on Instagram.

Effective August 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required that nicotine addiction warnings be placed on ads for nicotine containing e-liquids. As per FDA comments, this provision pertains to visual ads communicated via social media, raising questions about compliance within the large e-liquid promotion community on Instagram. This study examines use of warnings on promotional Instagram posts before and after provisions took effect on August 10, 2018. Netlytic was used to gather a sample of 500 promotional #eliquid and #ejuice posts from: May 2017, October 2017, March 2018, August 2018, and September 2018. The 1500 prewarning and 1000 postwarning posts were coded using content analysis. Changes in products and marketing strategies were also considered. Post volume was tracked monthly between May 2017 and February 2020. In the prewarning period, nicotine warning statements were absent on all posts. Following August 10, 2018, FDA compliant warnings were present on 13.6% of posts. Among US-based posts, 36.4% used the warnings, with warnings more common on posts made by e-liquid brands (52.3%) and posts promoting e-liquids with nicotine (40.0%). Promotional strategies and products did not significantly change. The share of posts made by US Instagram users decreased by 11%, although total post volume continued to grow. Many e-liquid promotion posts on Instagram remained noncompliant with nicotine warnings after FDA provisions took effect. The large volume of international users also limited the impact of FDA-mandated warnings on the social media environment. Further guidance and enforcement are needed to ensure that US e-liquid marketers on visual social media platforms adhere to current provisions, particularly for individual social media users who are sponsored by industry. The inherently global span of social media also indicates the importance of a shared approach to marketing regulations. Further work is needed to assess enforcement strategies viable for the social media environment.

Ordinary celebrities related criteria to harvest fame and influence on social media

PurposeThe study aims to explore why consumers engage with ordinary celebrities on social media by identifying the influential characteristics that have engaged followers and have led to opinion leadership on visual platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected from 32 social media users following at least one ordinary celebrity on Instagram and Facebook in Qatar and Tunisia.FindingsThe findings of this study highlight five main characteristics that lead to fame and opinion leadership on social media visual platforms: credibility, storytelling and content quality, fit with the platform, Actual and aspired image homophily and consistency.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, one of the first studies that highlight the features determining opinion leadership on visual platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Second, the results of the study highlight some features that distinguish ordinary celebrities from traditional established celebrities.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research represent a guideline for effective influential marketing development. Based on the results, recommendations are provided for companies, influencers and social media users who aspire to become influencers.Originality/valueThis research, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is among the first to shed light on opinion leadership through ordinary celebrities on visual social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, and thus, adds new insights to the area of social media marketing.