Political conflict on Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: Challenges of a cross-country comparison of visual content

Ofra Klein, Hans-Joerg Trenz*, Nadine Hesse

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)274-287
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Information Technology & Politics
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 2 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Taylor & Francis.

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  • ESHCC M&C

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