Social Media Data Analysis
Social Media Data Analysis: Instagram 2012 vs. Instagram 2024
image source: axios.com
My Social Media Use
Although I've had many social media platforms over the years (LiveJournal, MySpace, Snapchat, Vine, Twitter), I only use Facebook and Instagram today. My first experience with social media was with LiveJournal and MySpace in high school. I remember mostly posting "blog entries" and photos during this time. MySpace also had a feature where users could publicly comment on your page and users could assign their "top 8" friends, which undoubtedly caused a lot of drama. I first signed up for Facebook when I was 18 and enrolled in college. In 2006, a user could not have a Facebook account if they were not a college student. It felt exciting to sign up and connect with the people from my high school after graduation. I was not able to have Instagram until I bought an iPhone in 2012. It is hard to believe that I've had an account and been posting for almost 12 years. This is the social media platform that I use most consistently.
image source: personal photo
My First 25 Posts on Instagram (2012)
Looking through my first 25 posts on Instagram was a trip. My first post was on June 29, 2012. I was almost 24 years old. I remember being so excited to finally have an Instagram account and my first iPhone. I was so eager to share mundane parts of my day with my friends and intentionally tried to make the posts look artsy or more interesting than they were. Having recently graduated from college, I believe I was trying to find myself. Some of the first Instagram posts on my account show that.
Lake Michigan shoreline
image source:personal photo
When I first started using Instagram, I often tried to post pictures of scenery or places I've been and seen. Many of the posts were concerts, events, trips, or just things I noticed while walking around. The posts were not as curated and often pretty random or in the moment. I didn't upload pictures into my Instagram account, but rather took the photos using the app itself.
Wall graffiti outside The Elbo Room
image source: personal photo
Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park
image source: personal photo
Carrie Brownstein at Pitchfork Music Festival
image source: personal photo
A selfie
image source: personal photo
Although I mostly posted pictures of places and things, I also posted pictures of myself and my friend group. This is one of the first pictures I posted of myself on Instagram. It is a traditional "selfie", which I would never really post today. There is a filter on the picture and the polaroid photo look, a feature Instagram had in its infancy.
Thoughts
Overall, my Instagram account in 2012 was a lot more focused on what was happening in the moment. I would consider the posts real because they really were snapshots from a day in my life without overthinking what I was posting. There were often no captions or geo-tags (I'm not sure if that was even possible then). I posted more in 2012 because the Instagram stories feature was not included at that time. If I wanted to show my friends what I was up to, I couldn't post a 24-hour story on my feed, but would have to post on the Instagram grid instead. As the years passed, I noticed I posted less and less often, but the posts had more captions to sum up a month or an experience within one post.
My Last 25 posts on Instagram (2023-2024)
Looking over my last 25 posts on Instagram to analyze them was an interesting experience. One of the pictures on my grid I posted just yesterday. It really made me think about why I posted it in the first place and what I was getting out of posting it.
Garfield Park Conservatory: posted 4/6/24
image source: personal photo
One thing stood out to me while reviewing my most recent Instagram posts: the posts are more curated. When I was 23, I didn't think about getting the best angle or pose, but as time passed, and with the rise of very curated content on Instagram, something changed. I'm no longer snapping random photos through the Instagram app, but taking several photos on my phone camera and selecting the ones I feel are worthy to be posted. Although the experiences are real and I would have experienced these events with our without Instagram, there is a pressure to document moments that aren't necessarily significant. There are not any traditional "selfie" photos as pictured above, rather pictures of me or my friends experiencing the event being pictured. There is more an emphasis on candid photos, although many of the photos are not truly candid (as they were in 2012).
Waiting in line at Kasama
image source: personal photo
The Art Institute of Chicago
image source: personal photo
I noticed that I am still posting about experiences when that experience can provide a pretty picture or has some meaning behind it. For example, Kasama is an incredibly popular (and delicious) bakery in Ukrainian Village, Chicago. A visit also requires arriving early and waiting in line for 1+ hours. Although it has always been popular, it was recently featured in The Bear, making it even more of a bucket list destination for many people. It was fun sharing my experience eating at Kasama, but I defintely shared it in a post because of the significance of going and maybe even the reaction I got from my Instagram followers.
van Wonderen stroopwafel shop in Amsterdam
image source: personal photo
I travel a lot, and when visiting other countries, I will take the time to post several pictures within one post about my experiences. I also tend to tag the location of where I am with each post when I avoided this in the past. This stroopwafel spot, van Wonderen, is very "Instagrammable" and when I visited there were numerous influencers and tourists taking pictures in front of this window with their stroopwafels. Of course, I couldn't resist taking my own photo. However, this experience reminded me of this New York Times article: Can a Neighborhood Be Instagrammed to Death? Does everyone posting the same picture of a place on Instagram make it less special?
Takeaways
Reflecting on the last 12 years of Instagram really demonstrated how the platform has changed over time. In the article, "Your social media posts could be revealing way too much" by Shayne Rodriguez Thompson, she writes, "Your social media posts can reveal insights about your personality, your political leanings, how you spend your free time, your opinions on all manner of topics, what your priorities are, how you feel about yourself, and even where you physically are at any given moment." I find this quote true, especially regarding the insights about personality and where I am at a given moment. My Instagram account is on private, but I post my location still knowing that it could be a threat to my privacy (or even my property). Using the article "Social Media as Armor: Are You Really What You Post?" by Rosalind Wiseman, helped me to understand that my objective in my posts is to show that I am happy, social, and confident. Although I don't always feel that way offline, I believe this is the person I am and am striving to be.
Resources
Rodriguez Thompson , S. (2020, June 7). Pregnancy, parenting, lifestyle, Beauty: Tips & advice. MamasLatinascom. https://mamaslatinas.com/life-inspiration/154655-what-social-media-says-about-you#google_vignette
Wiseman, R. (2018, February 6). Social Media Armor: Are You Really What You Post?. ADL. https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/social-media-armor-are-you-really-what-you-post
I loved how your social media presence says so much who you are. I made connection with your Garfield Conservatory Picture (that's where we had our wedding reception) and the Ukranian Village (where we lived for a little bit). Your social media presence shows someone who enjoys life, is artistic and is happy with who she is. Yours is the first generation of citizens whose lives can be looked back on through social media lenses. I see nothing wrong with it intrinsically and looking at your posts, I would understand "the person you are striving to be".
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Kate, I loved how artsy your Instagram photos were back in 2012. I remember how Instagram was more casual back in its early days. The vibe of Instagram has definitely changed over time, which is reflected in your more current photos. Do you think your curating of photos is a result of having more awareness of your digital tattoo? How do you think curation affects authenticity in general? Really great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kate! First what lovely photos! Sharing your relationship with Instagram and how it has changed was really interesting. The things you discussed really remind me of Bo Burnham's song "White Woman's Instagram" . I remember first hearing that song and laughing so hard while also being a little offended. If you aren't familiar with that song its basically making fun of how all (white woman) instagrams basically post the same things. (There are several things he mentions that I have pictures of on my Instagram or would post). I don't know if I agree with things being less special because they are posted to death. I took a picture of the Eiffel Tower when I was in Paris and yes it might be the biggest cliche but it's mine and makes me happy. On the other hand I think you made great points about being more careful about information you post. I remember my aunt would post vacation photos after they were back in town and I thought she was paranoid. I don't think I feel that way anymore...
ReplyDeleteThe first posts online were probably of my cats or an event I attended. Some have since been deleted due to the website in question scrapping images using AI and making us individually edit each work to be opted out. It was far easier to mass delete the post than edit each one. I wouldn’t say I was in the moment with my posts because I only had little to no data to go online on my phone. I was also interested in photo editing as my father was a wedding photographer then.
ReplyDeleteI see their point regarding the article Can a neighborhood be Instagrammed to death, but tourist traps have existed even before Instagram. Individuals see things on the news, in a movie, or on TV and must see them in person. Las Vegas and Niagara Falls are prime examples of popular locations that were famous due to Movies and News.
With my Social Media Posts revealing way too much about my political and social views, why would I want to interact with individuals who want me dead for being who I am or who I vote for? There is a difference between arguing over the best pizza toppings and whether a specific group of people should be allowed to exist.
Thank you for such a reflective piece, Kate.
ReplyDeleteHello Kate,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. It was very interesting to learn about the differences you noticed from your recent posts to the very first posts you had. I find it fascinating how much we change throughout the years. I think we evolve and try to better ourselves, which is great. As well as we change what we post or how much we post due to our career choices, do you think that has to do with you posting less? Instagram has also changed a lot throughout the years and you adapted great to the changes from what I learned about your blog. I agree with what you mentioned in your blog, back in the day it was more popular to use the Instagram filters and take more “artsy” pictures. I was also wondering, since you looked back at the first pictures you uploaded on instagram, did you find yourself wanting to delete certain pictures or to archive them?
Thanks for sharing!