PB1A: Analyzing An Instagram Post & All That Stuff

Practically everything we come in contact with on a daily basis is some type of textual genre. From the obvious, textbooks, letters, and essays, to the more overlooked, nutrition labels, lyrical booklets, and my choice of focus, Instagram posts. There are two available audiences when it comes to Instagram posts, one being more extensive and broader than the other. Depending on the user, an Instagram account can be made “public” or “private”. Under “private”, the audience of a post is limited to solely pre-approved followers of said account. However, when an account posts under “public”, its content can reach a much bigger audience because virtually anyone can see that account and its posts should it already be a “follower” or simply stumble upon it. Furthermore, unlike an account on “private”, a “public” account can also be publically listed under any hashtags found in the post. For example, say “Joe” posted a picture of himself at Disneyland and added #Disneyland in his post, and “John”, who also happened to be visiting the park on that same day, decided to search up #Disneyland to see what other people are posting about it. Theoretically, “John” could casually find “Joe’s” post and “like” it despite never having met him. It serves as a way to connect people who know and do not know each other as well yet share something in common. Older generations, who already critique our generation, may argue that the sole purpose of social media, and all that comes with it such as posts, is to promote narcissism among an already narcissistic generation. However, the extent of Instagram posts goes far beyond that. The purpose of Instagram posts is to share life moments, in a much easier fashion, with friends and family regardless of where they may be in the world. Posting a picture with a textual caption can be shared in the moment it is happening instead of say scrapbooking and having to wait until you visit your aunt who you only see once a year because she lives on the other side of the country. The context of a post can vary. Going back to “Joe”, say he did not post his picture of Disneyland on the day he went. If he chose to, he could post it months later as a “throwback” picture. In that case, the hashtag #tb (“throwback”) within the writing portion of the post would help put the picture into context. It lets his followers know that he is not at Disneyland on the day he posted the picture, but that perhaps he is reminiscing about his trip there just a few short months prior to the post. The style and tone of most Instagram posts are easy-going from “Celebrating Joe’s Birthday at #Disneyland” to “Beach day with the gang. #SantaBarbara”. However, I say most because some accounts may choose to post about raising awareness for a cause and create an urgent and sympathetic tone, or a business may use their account to advertise an on-going sale at their store for a more encouraging tone. Some of the more notable conventions of an Instagram post are the short often quirky captions (no one wants to read five paragraphs about how much you love your boyfriend/girlfriend), hashtags, and sometimes even emojis. So the question arises, what makes an Instagram post, an Instagram post? An Instagram post sets itself apart because the purpose of an Instagram post is not only to post a “status” but to post a picture with a caption, to share moments through a more eye-catching and eye-appealing method.