Individual Paper
6. Using the Arts, Media and Culture: Contestations and Collaborations
Initially, social media’s target was to help users catch up with friends and family while helping colleagues socialize by sharing what was on their minds, pictures, and recordings to relive past experiences or simply meet (new) people and have an engaging time. However, with the evolution of technology and the human mind coupled with creativity, online networking has become much more utilized due to the ease of interacting with people with little worries about time and space differences. This paper investigates the utilization of Instagram as a medium for environmental activism in Nigeria, Indonesia, and Brunei. The increasing popularity of Instagram as a social media platform has effectively aided the exchange of information, establishment of connections, and promotion of environmental causes, rendering it a potent medium for environmental activists across various geographical areas. This qualitative research will examine the evolving role of Instagram in promoting environmental activism in light of the visual framing theory, emphasizing the distinct socio-cultural, political, and environmental contexts of the three nations under investigation. A qualitative content analysis of posts on selected environmental activists' organisations Instagram pages will be conducted following the approach outlined in studying organizations on Instagram (SOI) by Russman and Svensson (2016) model. The findings will help determine if the interaction between social media and the activists will only keep evolving while one day, this age will come to be referred to as the “Rise of the Instactivists.”
Silas Oghenemaro Emovwodo
Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
Fenitra Rakotoarisoa
ASTA Research Center, Madagascar
Emmanuel Massay
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia