The consumption of body images by Instagram users in Sanandaj

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Kurdistan University, Sanandaj, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Kurdistan University, Sanandaj, Iran

3 Master of Sociology, Kurdistan University, Sanandaj, Iran

https://doi.org/10.34785/J016.2021.688

Abstract

Instagram is one of the most important social networks that has provided an attractive space for self-representation and virtual interaction. The attractiveness of this social network is somehow due to the diversity and exchangeability of images, photos and signs which are frequently commented by millions of users. This research is about to interpret the Instagram users’ narratives of body images, through relying on three theories: the theory of self-representation (Goffman), cultural representation (Giddens), and somatic society (Turner & Shilling). The main question is how users read and consume body image in Instagram? We have used narrative interview to gain the stories users make about their experiences of being and searching in Instagram. The sample is selected among users in Sanandaj city by way of snowball sampling method (16 case: 11 male, 5 female). The findings show that users’ reading and consumption of body images can be categorized into five main categories or patterns: interactional, symbolic, representational, taste oriented and leisure oriented. The first implies users’ attempts to reflect their social life and manage impressions on others; the second category is about embodiment and imitating the dominant body images; the third means that users usually tend to be seduced and like to be immersed in images; the fourth implies finding the desired followers; and the fifth is about how to spend free time

Keywords

References

Crossley, N. (2006). The Networked Body and the Question of Reflexivity. compiled in the Book Body/Embodiment by Dennis Waskul and Phillip Vannini.
Ezra Park, R. (1950). Race and Culture. Glencoe: The Free Press.
Fardouly, J., and Vartanian, LR. (2016). Social media and body image concerns: current research and future directions. Current opinion in Psychology, 9:1-5
Heaphy, B. (2007). Late and modernity and social change. Routledge New York.
Herman, J. (2014).Instagram Statistics for 2014 – Jenns Trends. Jenns Trends. N.P., 17 Feb. 2014.Web.26 June 2014.<http://jennstrends.com/instagram.statistics.
Hermanns, H. (1995). Narrative Interview in U. Flik, E.V Kardorf, H. Keupp, L.V. Rosenstiel and Handbuch Qualitative Sozialfoeschung (2nd edn). Munich: Psychologie Verlage Union.
Holland, G and Tiggemann, M. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image 17: 100-110
http://www.spredfast.com. (The 2018 Social Audience Guide).
Instagram. (2016). Our Story. Available at: http://blog.instagram.com/post/129662501137/150922400million.
Munhall, P. (2001). Nursing Research: A Qualitative perspective, Jones and Bartlett Publisher in Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Neuman, L. (2006b). Social research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Third Edition, London: Allayn and Bacon.
Pew Research. (2015a). Teens, social media and technology overview 2015. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015.
Shilling, Ch. (2003). The Body and Social Theory. London. Sage.
Sismondo, S. (2010). An Introduction to science and technology studies. University of California, San Diego. 
Synnott, A. (1993). the Body Social: Symbolism, Self and Society. Routledge New York.
Tiggemann, M., and Zaccardo, M. (2015). Exercise to be fit, not skinny: the effect of fitspiration imagery on Women's body image. Body Image 15: 61-67.
Turner, B. (1996). 1984. The Body and Society. London, Sage.
Views, Visuals, and Visibility: The Value of Instagram - Reimagine Main Street.” Reimagine Main Street. N.P., 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 June 2014. <http://reimaginemainstreet.com/social-media/views-visuals-and-visibility-thevalue-Of-instagram/>.
            www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users.
Zhao, S., & Zappavigna, M. (2017). Beyond the self: Intersubjectivity and the social semiotic interpretation of the selfie. sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermission.nav.
Sociology of Culture and Art
Volume 2, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
October 2020
Pages 141-115

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 04 March 2021
  • Revise Date: 04 May 2021
  • Accept Date: 12 July 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics