My Insta-Inspiration

About a year ago, sparked by acquiring my first iPhone, I became one of the many to join the world of Instagram. Over the last couple of years, Instagram’s popularity has certainly increased and has kept up with other popular social medias like Facebook and Twitter. Being someone who is drawn to pictures rather than words, I have enjoyed keeping up with friends and family near and far in a fun, artsy way. Since my entrance into the Insta-world, I have come to notice that many of the people I follow who closely relate themselves to a certain religion, use Instagram as a space to display that association with their followers and the rest of us Insta-people. My fascination first started with my church back home when they got an Instagram, and I became very interested in the kinds of pictures they were posting and what pictures they liked; it was a fun, easy way to keep up with what was happening. This made me aware of the many other people and organizations I was following, and how they used Instagram in their daily religious reflection, whether they chose to do it through the picture itself or if the significance of the photo is found in its related caption. I have also enjoyed observing what other pictures those people have liked and how they comment on others’ photos.

For this specific case study, I will observe people who publicly express their association with Christianity and focus on how they use Instagram in their expression of religious devotion in their daily life. I will do this by observing the pictures that they post and the caption associated with them along with the pictures that they like and their comments on them. I will pay close attention to their purpose in posting whether it be apparent in the caption or the picture itself. I will choose people that have openly proclaimed that they are a Christian and closely monitor their activities on Instagram: their pictures, captions, and comments. I will then make connections on how their interaction with Instagram illustrates Christianity in their daily activities. I am excited to observe and research about how Christians use Instagram and gain some insight into how their religious association is played out into their everyday lives.