Instagram is a key social media platform which is used to portray an authentic sense of ones self.
For me, this sense of self is based on the identification with the branch of Conservatism and right-wing policies. Conservatism focuses on traditional values, and has been highly disregarded as the media grows more liberal. A downward spiral in conservative trust has been built based on the rapid growth of left leaning institutions and attitudes. 30% of millennials are dissatisfied with the way Donald Trump (Pew Social Trends) is running the United States, a percentage in which I do no adhere too. 70% of millennials would vote for a socialist (The Hill). The praising of mass murderers like Che Guevara and the emphasis of deliberate lies that some news organisations attribute themselves too has led to a mass wave of younger people adhering to socialism. The deaths of over 100 million people under these types of regimes is hidden and untold (The Heritage).
Instagram offers a lot more affordances than Twitter. Instagram allows for those with a public account to have their posts shared on other people’s stories and a story feature to add photos, videos and text. This is unlike Twitter who do not offer a story setting, and Twitter drastically silences and removes any conservative or right-wing posts, which opposes does not suit their progressive nature. This also tarnishes the nature of freedom of speech. The Instagram stories are the key way in which this sense of self I endure is shown, sharing stats and figures as well as news that the media does not cover or is rarely seen. According to A. Cooper conservatives use resources and stats to build relationships with others.
According to CJ Calhoun, a public sphere is adopted through a web of social relationships. As more conservatives share their views, an imagined community is seen and a further spread of the public sphere is recreated and immersed into ones daily life.
There is no intended audience within the sense of self I possess. The sharing of the information is to help provide conservatives with a firm stance on their views, and to provide liberals with another side of the news. This allows for the occasional participation in political discourse, and opens up a new view for those who may have never read or seen anything from the other side of the political spectrum. Many more conservatives would find my social media presence accessible and acceptable. Although, I prefer if anyone and everyone is able to access it to see an altering view from their own, and one that isn’t silenced by social media institutions. The praise of Trump within my stories would lead to a more international appraisal by Conservative Americans. I also share the Liberal parties policies, which attracts access for domestic conservatives. However, my social media has an outreach all the way to Europe, allowing for a further expansion of conservative views and statistics. This allows for conservative views to still be upheld, and the practise of freedom of speech to still be adhered to.
SOURCES
A, Cooper, 2016, The Conservative Campaign, Political Communication in Britain
C,J,Calhoun, 1992, Habermas and the Public Sphere, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
C, Somodevilla, 2020, Republican National Convention Day Four, Getty Images, viewed on 25th of August, 2020
K, Parker, N, Graf, R, Igielnik, 2019, Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues, Pew Social Trends, accessed on 25th of August 2020, https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/01/17/generation-z-looks-a-lot-like-millennials-on-key-social-and-political-issues/
L, Edwards, 2018, What Americans Must Know About Socialism, The Heritage Foundation, accessed on 25th of August 2020, https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/what-americans-must-know-about-socialism
M, Gstalter, 2019, 7 in 10 millennials say they would vote for a socialist: poll, The Hill, accessed on 25th of August 2020, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/467684-70-percent-of-millennials-say-theyd-vote-for-a-socialist-poll
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