Identification of photo characteristics that increase the reach and engagement on Instagram

Zdi se, da stari izrek »slika pove več kot tisoč besed« v dobi družbenih omrežij vlada svetu. Dovršena vizualna estetika še posebej igra veliko vlogo na družbenem omrežju Instagram, ki z 1,3 milijona aktivnih mesečnih uporabnikov velja za enega najbolj priljubljenih družbenih omrežij na svetu ter hkrati nepogrešljivo in stroškovno učinkovito priložnost za promocijo podjetij. Magistrska naloga se tako ukvaja z razumevanjem učinkovitega nastopa na družbenem omrežju Instagram ter raziskuje, zakaj je virtualno pripovedovanje zgodb tako pomembno ter kakšne so vizualne karakteristike fotografij, ki dokazano pozitivno vplivajo na odziv uporabnikov. V teoretičnem delu skozi pregled relevantne literature predstavim glavne značilnosti Instagrama, dotaknem se teme fenomena vplivnežev ter orišem razlike v pomenu fotografije nekoč in danes. V empiričnem delu se nato s pomočjo Google API analize in SPSS analize osredotočim na podrobnejšo analizo 300 fotografij desetih izbranih slovenskih podjetij s področja življenjskega stila, ki imajo na Instagramu več kot 10.000 sledilcev. Izsledki raziskave kažejo, da najbolj priljubljene Instagram objave vključujejo sodelovanje z vplivneži, bolj kot izobraževalne vsebine pa uporabniki z všečki in komentarji nagrajujejo zabavne in navdihujoče osebne vsebine.In the age of social media, the old saying »a picture is worth a thousand words« seems to rule the world. Sophisticated visual aesthetics plays a vital role on Instagram which with 1,3 million of monthly active users is considered to be one of the most popular social networks in the world and also an indispensable and cost-effective opportunity for companies to promote their products or services. This Master\u27s thesis focuses on understanding effective Instagram presence, exploring why virtual storytelling is so important and which visual characteristics of the photos have a positive effect on a user response. In the theoretical part I introduce the main features of Instagram through review of the relevant literature, then touch on the topic of influencer phenomena and outline the differences in the meaning of photography between now and then. In the emprical part I use Google API and SPSS analysis to focus on a more detailed analysis of 300 photos depicting the lifestyle of ten selected Slovenian companies which have more than 10,000 Instagram followers. The results of the survey have show that the most popular Instagram posts include engagement with influencers, and that fun and inspiring personal content with likes and comments is far more often rewarded by the users than educational and sales content