Social media for social good? A thematic, spatial and visual analysis of humanitarian action on Instagram

Bibliographic Data

ID20510154
AuthorsA Mccosker (0000-0003-0666-3262, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia, corresponding author), Peter Kamstra (0000-0003-3934-1403, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia), Tracy De Cotta (0000-0003-0630-418X, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia), Jean Farmer (0000-0003-1730-2622, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia), Frances Shaw (0000-0001-8690-653X, The University of Sydney), Zoe Teh (0000-0001-8481-3049, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia), Arezou Soltani Panah (0000-0001-9036-6716, Swinburne University of Technology, Social Innovation Research Institute, Hawthorn, Australia)
Year2021
Volume24
Issue13
Pages1870-1890
Publication date2021-10-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInformation Communication & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-118X • E-ISSN: 1468-4462
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1369118x.2020.1748089
OpenAlexW3020446176
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited37

As an image and location sharing platform, Instagram offers intimate visual access to events, experiences and situations in a manner that is mobile and contextual. Partnering with Australian Red Cross, this paper develops a mixed methodology for using Instagram data to identify and understand individuals’ everyday humanitarian activity in a major urban centre (Melbourne, Australia) outside of the temporal frame of crisis. The research integrates hashtag data collection with thematic analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to use visualise the links between types of humanitarian action, their motivations and contextual situations to precise urban locations. These attributes of Instagram posting practices offer a base layer of information about disparate prosocial action taking place in an urban context. We see this as informing and sustaining a new hybrid mode of promotional and humanitarian communication, evidencing social good ‘place making’ and enabling new forms of visible humanitarian participation

Content analysis · Data science · Frame analysis · Geography · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Volunteered Geographic Information · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Global Security and Public Health · Public Relations and Crisis Communication