Abstract
Research on political conflict often overlooks the role of visual-based platforms like Instagram in expressing political discontent, focusing primarily on textual content from newspapers and social media. This paper examines the practicalities and challenges of conducting visual research on Instagram, particularly in the context of comparative studies. We highlight the difficulties associated with sampling representative visual content. Through a small case study, we illustrate how hashtags associated with a single country can generate multiple conflicts, using indicators developed in political protest research and contentious politics. The existence of diverse debates within and across hashtags complicates cross-country comparisons of Instagram content and conflict dynamics. To address this issue, we propose an analytical tool for cross-hashtag analysis, allowing for the assessment of degrees of conflict.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 274-287 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Information Technology & Politics |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 2 Feb 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 Taylor & Francis.
Research programs
- ESHCC M&C