Is it IG-worthy?: An exploratory study of Finstagram accounts and their contribution to the Online Self-Representation of Filipino Users
Ayuson, A.C. (2019). Is it IG-worthy?: An exploratory study of Finstagram accounts and their Contribution to the Online Self-Representation of Filipino Users, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
Abstract
Finstagram has been defined as secondary accounts of Instagram users where they post content that does not adhere to their main account’s aesthetics or curated feed; this phenomenon, however, has been defined only on a surface level. This thesis aims to explore and define Finstagram as a phenomenon within the visual social media application Instagram. Using Baumeister and Hutton’s self-presentation theory as a lens, this study also aims to find out how Finstagram contributes to the online self-representation of their users.
This study observes ten Filipino Instagram users who maintain both a main Instagram and Finstagram accounts through personal interviews and observation of these accounts. Through thematization of interview data and categorization of the visual content on the accounts, the results suggest that there are five motivations behind the use of main Instagram accounts while there are four motivations behind the use of Finstagram accounts. The participants of this study use their main Instagram accounts to project an image to satisfy their audience’s expectations while they use their Finstagram accounts in order to satisfy their own needs and their expectations of themselves.
Keywords: Instagram, Finstagram, online self-representation, visual, social media, thematization