Social media platforms, such as Instagram, has created an opportunity for companies to communicate with its stakeholders in a totally different way than before. As Instagram allows two-way communication between the company and its stakeholders, the followers has a part of how the image is related to the brand. However, we have not found any scientific studies that examines how this image is perceived by the followers. This study was aiming to investigate how the Swedish fashion company and brand Filippa K are using Instagram as a communication tool to form their followers’ idea of the brand. More specifically, it studied how Filippa K’s image was perceived by their followers. The research question “what image is perceived by Filippa K’s followers by Filippa K’s visual image communication on Instagram?” was formulated to solve the problem. The results of this study was built upon data from eight qualitative interviews with Filippa K’s followers on Instagram. The analysis leant on theoretical framework about brand identity and brand image, as well as Stuart Hall’s encoding/ decoding theory. By using these in the analysis, the result showed that the followers perceived a positive image of Filippa K. However, the followers also formed their different opinions about Filippa K as a brand as well as alternative decoding beyond the core values that the company’s identity is based upon. The essential parts of Filippa K’s identity was perceived, hence a conclusion was made that the image implicated a Swedish, in vogue brand with high qualitative products that focus on style, simplicity and sustainability. The results of this study has given an insight of the impact Instagram has on how followers perceive an image. With an understanding for the followers, a company can work with its market communication on Instagram to form the brand image towards one way or another.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / The public’s fascination for using tools to view the landscape dates as far back as mid-1600. The Claude Glass, while void of definitive origin, gained popularity among tourists and amateur artists as a way to replicate the picturesque landscape first embraced by French painter, Claude Lorrain. The iPad, in conjunction with the Instagram App, offers today’s viewer a similar experience with the modern convenience of saving and disseminating the views to the masses. While the repetitive nature of history only further solidifies the success of Instagram, the difference with today’s device lies in the ability to harness, inventory and analyze the data using an Application Programming Interface (API). Through a series of photos collected of the High Line in New York City over a seven-day period using the Instagram API Console, this study looks to answer the question, how can Instagram be used to gather user perceptions about the built environment? Working within the context of an adaptive process, the developer end of Instagram was proficiently mastered and a new tool was created as a means of conducting the research query. Both manual and automated processes were applied to expose commonalities and hidden patterns. While the ambitious undertaking revealed Instagram could be applied, the study opened up more questions concerning the viability of using a new tool capable of querying public images as a way to inform landscape architecture practitioners. As our world becomes more and more data centric, the design profession has the ability to tap into this relatively untouched resource as a means to gather information and shape the future of the built environment. This research offers a subjective analysis of passive images not capable of revealing the story behind the lens. Future research questioning the motivation behind the camera is needed to ground the idea of capturing perceptions through Instagram and move the ideas formulated in this study past theory.

Social media is increasing constantly, which led to new communication and marketing channels have evolved, it has helped businesses and consumers to integrate and communicate with each other. One of the fastest growing communication and marketing channels is Instagram. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of consumer attitudes to the content of the ads on Instagram. The study was based on a qualitative research approach with a selection of ten people, aged 18-28 years, who use Instagram. Previous research has shown that most people who use Instagram are between 12-35 years, therefore this study chose to combine the people who were available and were in the age frame. Semi-structured interviews were used as a method of study and consisted of eleven questions, which were in two distinct themes. The study's empirical data were analyzed using theories of social media as a communication- and marketing channel and attitudes to advertising. The study results showed that all respondents perceive the content of the ads on Instagram as both positive and negative, depending on how the company shapes the content of the ads on Instagram.

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / With the increasing digitalization of society, the line between private and public has blurred. Social network sites (SNSs) like Facebook and Instagram facilitate such a process, with users utilizing the sites for public displays of private emotions or events. What was once intimate conversation between two individuals or personal experience shared only with those in one’s physical company have become public conversations and shared experiences for networks of Friends and Followers to comment on, like, share, and survey. Consequently, social media has allowed for heightened expressions of grief, a formerly private experience, online through the use of images, words, and reactions. The current study uses survey and interview data to understand who uses social media to grieve the loss of a family member (a particularly private loss), why an individual might do this, and how such posting influences the grieving process for the social media user. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

Titel: #relationship - En kvalitativ studie om småföretagares relationsbyggande på Instagram Datum: 2019-05-20 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats inom företagsekonomi, 15 hp Författare: Hedda Liljegren och Madeleine Lindgren Handledare: Navid Ghannad Examinator: Svante Andersson Nyckelord: Relationsmarknadsföring, Instagram, småföretagare, kundrelationer För småföretagare med begränsade resurser kan det, i takt med att digitaliseringen och sociala medier ökar, vara svårt att nå ut med den marknadsföring man önskar och det redan tuffa marknadsklimatet blir ännu tuffare. Den tidigare bristfälliga forskningen leder oss in på syftet “att undersöka och bidra med förståelse kring vilka aspekter som är viktiga för små företag, vars primära säljkanaler är fysiska butiker, för att kunna bygga relationer till befintliga och potentiella kunder via organiska inlägg på Instagram”. Teorier som berör Instagram som marknadsföringsverktyg, relationsmarknadsföring, beslutsnivåer och storytelling förklaras för att ge förståelse för ämnet. Genom en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod genomfördes sedan öppna, individuella intervjuer med tre företag med syftet att studera hur mindre företag arbetar på Instagram för att skapa relationer med sina följare. Det gjordes även observationer av respektive företags Instagramkonto för att triangulera informationen och stärka reliabiliteten. Den primära datan har analyserats genom både inomfalls- och mellanfallsanalys och även kopplats samman med den teoretiska referensramen. Studien har identifierat faktorer på respektive beslutsnivå som kan vara av vikt för småföretagare vid relationsbyggande på Instagram. Dessa faktorer är strategi för content, uppföljning och interaktion.

En esta investigación se analiza Los canales de comunicación audiovisual de Instagram y su relación con la intención de compra de ropa deportiva de moda en mujeres de 18 a 35 años de nivel socioeconómico A de San Borja, Surco, San Isidro y Miraflores en el presente año. En base a esto, la hipótesis planteada es que los canales de comunicación audiovisual de Instagram se relacionan con la intención de compra de ropa deportiva en mujeres. De esta manera, la investigación describe el marketing de boca a boca y su evolución en el tiempo, el desarrollo del concepto mencionado en las redes sociales, ahondando en Instagram. Asimismo, se describe lo que es una intención de compra, con apoyo del proceso de compra, comportamiento del consumidor y el ZMOT1. Finalmente, se detallan la evolución y características de Instagram, haciendo hincapié en las “fotos”, “videos”, “stories” e “Instagram Tv”. La investigación es de tipo descriptivo, menciona los 4 canales de comunicación audiovisual y los actores como “seguidos”, “influencers” y “cuentas de las marcas” que participan en esta red social. La intención de compra en Instagram se ve influenciada de forma diferente por canal, actor y la actividad que este pueda hacer al momento de publicar algún contenido. / This research analyzes the audiovisual communication channels of Instagram and its relationship with the intention of buying fashionable sportswear in women from 18 to 35 years of socioeconomic status A of San Borja, Surco, San Isidro and Miraflores in the current year. Based on this, the hypothesis is that Instagram's audiovisual communication channels are related to the intention of buying sportswear for women. In this way, the research describes word of mouth marketing and its evolution over time, the development of the concept mentioned in social networks, delving into Instagram. In addition, the purchase intention, the purchase process, the consumer's behavior and the ZMOT are described. Finally, the evolution and characteristics of Instagram, how to make disabilities in the "photos", "videos", "stories" and "Instagram TV" are detailed. The research is descriptive, the 4 channels of audiovisual communication and the actors as "followed", "influencers" and "accounts of the brands" that participate in this social network. The intention to buy on Instagram is influenced differently by channel, actor and the activity that can be done when publishing some content. / Trabajo de investigación

En los últimos años, la evolución de los medios online ha ocasionado gran impacto en las tendencias de compra. Esto afecta principalmente a las marcas que buscan crecer a través del mundo digital, por lo que cada vez son más las marcas que trasladan sus negocios a redes sociales o páginas web, buscando dar al consumidor una mejor experiencia de compra. El objetivo principal, en muchos casos, es tener un valor diferencial que haga que sus marcas conecten con sus clientes, es ahí donde entra el término engagement, también conocido como consumer Brand engagement (CBE) que trata de la relación entre el consumidor y la marca, creando un vínculo social y emocional que lleva al consumidor a interactuar con la marca en el ámbito tanto online como offline. La presente investigación considera dos de las principales estrategias de promoción basadas en precio (reducción directa y reducción en el propio producto) como principal fuente de engagement para las marcas en Instagram y se pretende descubrir si la relación entre ambas es positiva o negativa. Para ello, se utilizaron técnicas de recolección de datos cuantitativos y cualitativos que luego de ser analizados dan resultados favorables a la investigación. / In the las years, the evolution of online media has caused a big impact on buying trends. The mainly effects brands that seek to grow through the digital world, so that more and more brands that move their business to social networks or web pages, seeking to give the consumer a better shopping experience. The main objective, in many cases, is to have a differential value that makes their brands connect with their costumers, that’s where the engagement term comes in, also known as consumer brand engagement (CBE) that deals with the relationship between the costumer and the brand, creating social and emotional link that leads the costumer to interact with the brand, both online and offline. This research considers two of the main strategies of promotion based in price (direct reduction and reduction in the product itself) as the main source of engagement for the brands in Instagram and it is intended to discover if the relationship between both is positive or negative. To reach this objective, quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used, after being analyzed, they give favorable results to the investigation. / Trabajo de investigación

Previous research has shown that social media impacts people's identities as well as their online communication as they maintain their online friendships. This study strives to further examine the relationship between daily Instagram usage in young adults’ life and its effect on their friendships and identities. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how young Instagram users' friendships function today, in order to achieve an understanding about the nature of the friendships as well as create an appreciation on whether Instagram usage influences a person's identity. The study is conducted through in-depth interviews with six young adults aged between 18-22 years. We analyze our respondents’ friendships through the application of Hartmut Rosa's framework, which describes the accelerating society (2014) and Sherry Turkle’s (2017) discussion on how friendships are affected by social media and not least the significant use of mobile phones. We found in our study that young Instagram users both have pure relationships as described by Anthony Giddens (1999) as well as superficial relationships. We also found that the character of the relationship depends on whether it occurs in real life or online through Instagram. Our study suggests that Instagram usage does not prohibit pure relationships but rather supplement them with superficial relationships that occur via Instagram. In addition, Instagram is utilized to present a desired identity (Goffman 2011). The users are to different degrees aware of whether this is their “true” identity or just a way of making an “impression”. Goffman (2011) is implying that the everyday presentation effect the self-image in different ways. / Tidigare forskning har visat att sociala medier påverkar människors identitet och deras online kommunikation, då de bibehåller sina vänskapsrelationer där. I denna studie fortsätter vi på denna forskningslinje och studerar unga vuxna som använder Instagram dagligen, för att se hur Instagram eventuellt påverkar deras vänskapsrelationer och identitet. Syftet med denna studie blir därmed att skapa förståelse för hur unga instagramanvändares vänskapsrelationer ser ut idag, detta för att studera vänskapsrelationernas karaktär samt om eventuellt identitetsskapande sker via användningen av Instagram. Vi undersöker detta genom kvalitativa intervjuer med sex unga vuxna i åldrarna 18–22. För att analysera detta använde vi oss av Hartmut Rosas teori om det accelererande samhället (2014) samt Sherry Turkles (2017) diskussion om hur vänskapsrelationer påverkas av sociala medier och inte minst mobilanvändningen. Resultatet av vår studie är att unga instagramanvändare har både rena relationer som Anthony Giddens (1999) beskriver samt ytliga. Relationernas karaktär är beroende av om de äger rum i verkligheten eller online via Instagram. Vi föreslår därför att instagramanvändningen inte utesluter rena relationer, men att de kompletteras med ytliga relationer som utspelar sig och bibehålls online. Resultatet gällande identiteten visar att individer tydligt skapar sina identiteter via instagram, dock är de olika medvetna om det, vilket är något som vi analyserar genom Goffmans (2011) teori om presentationen av jaget.

In recent years, the Internet has exploded with different kinds of social media, where a significant function is to share your life in text and images. This changes how we form our identity, our religious identity included. The aim of this paper was to study how Instagram forms a space for the creation and development of religious and spiritual beliefs. For this purpose, Instagram updates from five women with yoga oriented Instagram accounts have been analyzed in relation to two theories: Paul Heelas’ och Linda Woodhead’s theory of a spiritual revolution and Heidi Campbell’s theory of networked religion. The aim of the study was to explore how these women presented themselves in their Instagram flow and what part religion and spirituality had in their presentations. The method used was thematic content analyses. Four themes were identified: (1) immanent and transcendent religion, (2) the unique self, (3) the holistic idea and (4) thoughts about the universe and the earth. The conclusion when analyzing the data in relation to the selected theories was that religion and spirituality have a central part in the texts that was published with the pictures and that the women expressed and described religion and spirituality in a way that can be understood in accordance with both the theory of a spiritual revolution and the theory of networked religion, especially with references to storied identity, shifting authority and convergent practice.  Nevertheless, some parts of the result couldn’t fully be explained through these theories and there were some parts of the result that showed that the theories might need some development or adjustment, for example regarding gender roles and female religiosity in the contemporary society.

Uppsatsen undersöker varför unga kvinnor och män använder Instagram, hur de väljer att framställa sig där och om man kan se några likheter och/eller skillnader. Kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med fem kvinnor och fem män i åldern 23-30 år som alla är användare av Instagram. I uppsatsen har även informanternas tio senaste publicerade bilder tagits i beaktning som en kompletterande del till intervjuerna. För att genomföra undersökningen har vi använt oss av Uses and Gratifications och identitetsteorier. I relation till teorierna har det empiriska materialet tematiserats för att sedan analyseras. För att kunna se potentiella skillnader mellan de två könen används de som två variabler. Resultatet av studien visar på att både unga kvinnor och män i åldrarna 23-30 år använder Instagram för att hålla sig uppdaterade om vad andra människor gör och som ett tidsfördriv. Vi kunde även se vissa skillnader i hur kvinnorna respektive männen ville framstå på Instagram. Kvinnorna var mer måna om att framstå som trevliga och mysiga, och männen ville framställa sig själva som roliga. Genom informanternas tio senaste bilder kunde vi se att miljöbilder och bilder på personer var absolut vanligast bland både kvinnorna och männen att publicera.