The illusion of social media? : exploring the notion of instagram users as controversial, trend setting and dynamic

Abstract: Social media platforms are used as a virtual means of communication. Young people are hooked onto various social networking sites enabling them to stay connected with what is happening in the world. A shift from the popular social networking site, Facebook to Instagram is noted among the youth. This study was motivated by the popularity of Instagram in South Africa and sought to explore the Instagram experiences of university students and how they presented themselves on the platform. The study took interest in the Instagram experiences of eight female students from the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus of the University of Johannesburg. The students were from the Business and Economics, Humanities as well as Education faculties and were accessed through Instagram. The study explores the notion of Instagram users as controversial, trendsetting, and dynamic. Qualitative research methods were used to gather data through seven face-to-face interviews and one digital interview conducted through FaceTime which challenges traditional ways of conducting qualitative research. The findings revealed a shift away from Facebook and Twitter towards Instagram. The participants expressed that by having a large following on Instagram, they were exposed to opportunities to make money as they would be approached by popular brands for marketing purposes. It was also found that Instagram users are exposed to social media standards that demand that they present themselves in a perfectionistic and aesthetically pleasing manner. The participants used their Instagram profiles as a personal branding tool in order to promote their talents and business ventures. Self-presentation and impression management prevailed in the midst of the subtle standards that could be perceived on social media sites. Goffman’s theory of self-presentation as well as Žižek’s theory of cynicism as a form of ideology were used to analyse the findings and asserted that Instagram was used as a front stage where individuals displayed their ideal selves and perfectionistic selves, while they also created their own reality which they hoped would not be misrecognised. This exposed the illusiveness of social media and presented Instagram users as controversial, trendsetting and dynamic.M.A. (Sociology