Idealbilden av livet online : En kvalitativ studie om normer och självpresentation på Instagram

Sammanfattning: The digitalization of today’s society has developed rapidly. The internet has become a given and the popularity of social media is ever growing. One of them being Instagram, with a vast userbase who can publish and share images and videos with each other. Thus, the users of Instagram can showcase their lives, where certain aspects are highlighted, and others are suppressed. The purpose of this study is to examine how Instagram is being used in terms of social interactions and self-presentation together with how the participants manage and adapt to potential norms and expectations which could be present on Instagram. Previous research shows that the use of Instagram could benefit social relations as well as cause isolation and solitude. Instagram could also cause the user to engage in social comparison, as users could construct and publish a certain image of everyday life which may not correspond with reality. The data was collected through the means of qualitative, semi-structural interviews, with a total of 6 participants recruited, ranging in age from 20 to 27 years. The collected data was analyzed with an inductive approach, where sociological theories were applied to the results and analysis, which consisted of Goffman’s theory of dramaturgy together with Bourdieu’s theory of capital and social space. The study showcases how the participants often publish an embellished image of reality despite their desire to remain genuine. The participants expressed the embellished image of reality on Instagram in a negative way, where they had adapted varying strategies to cope with the exposure. However, the study shows how the participants use Instagram in a positive manner to gather images for themselves, keep social contacts, and be inspired by other users.