Identity and Students' Self-Representation on Instagram

Instagram je trenutno jedna od najpopularnijih društvenih mreža kojoj broj korisnika svakodnevno raste. Ovaj rad proučava studente koji ga koriste, njihove motive za sudjelovanje i objavljivanje sadržaja, njihov identitet na ovoj društvenoj mreži te način na koji se prezentiraju svojim pratiteljima. Cilj rada je bio uočiti uzorke ponašanja studenata na Instagramu te odstupanja između njihovog stvarnog identiteta i onoga kojeg su kreirali na ovoj društvenoj mreži. Istraživanje je dokazalo da je aktivnost studenata na Instagramu planirana i promišljena te da se njihov stvarni identitet razlikuje od onoga kojeg su kreirali na Instagramu. Razlog za to krije se u činjenici da se studenti na Instagramu nastoje prikazati u što boljem svjetlu, odnosno onakvima kakvi bi uistinu htjeli biti.At the moment Instagram is one of the most popular social networks whose number of users is constantly growing. This research analyses students who use Instagram, their motives behind participating and posting various content, construction of identity on social networks and the way they represent themselves to their followers. The purpose of this thesis was to differentiate patterns of students' behaviour on Instagram but also establish whether there were discrepancies between their virtual and real identities. This research showed that student activity on Instagram is calculated and thought out and that their real identity differs from the one they created on Instagram. The reason for this lies in the fact that students wish to represent themselves in the best possible way, in the way the aspire to be in real life