By Hannah Ruben

Individual vs. Collectivist tendencies as represented on

Instagram

By Hannah Ruben

Background• Cultures are typically divided into

two categories: collectivist and individualist

• Individualist cultures, such as those of the United States emphasize personal achievement regardless of the expense of group goals, resulting in a strong sense of competition.

• Collectivist cultures, such as Japan, emphasize family and work group goals above individual needs or desires.

• Are the kinds of photos (Selfies vs w/others) uploaded on Instagram representative of a collective/individual culture’s values?

• To find an answer, I will study the of types photos uploaded on Instagram photos by five American and five Japanese design school students, over the course of two months.

Research Question

• Measure the incidence of how many specific kinds of photos are uploaded within a sample of each culture to find statistical data analysis.

• Exploratory: I hope seek new insight, and uncover new questions about why each culture choses to upload certain photo

• Observation: I will look at individuals’ profiles to see what they upload, rather than discover why they upload.

METHOD

Quantitative Approach: Examine 5 public profiles from each culture, and the most recent photos they post over a two month period of time

Ethical Issues• Will only be observing public

profiles, thus may skew overall results when observing only individuals who knowingly are uploading photos to the entire public, not simply accepted followers– Can certain photos constitute

mixed signals of individual/collective? For example, photo of food at a restaurant, alone or with others?

Timeline

I will observe

each subject’s five

most recent

uploads from

the past 30

days.

Japanese Data: Subjects 1 & 2

Japanese Data: Subjects 3 & 4

Japanese Data: Subject 5

Findings Selfies: 7/25

Group Shots: 2/25

Photos without any people: 14/25 Food Pictures: 8/25

Findings• A majority of photos do

not even have the subject, or anyone else for that matter, in their uploads.

• Stronger inclination to upload photos of food, nature, or surroundings.

How this relates to Japanese Collectivism

• Each person is encouraged to be an active player in society, to do what is best for society as a whole rather than themselves.

• Uploads encompass what they are doing, rather than who they are.

• The Japanese emphasize nonverbal communication and subtleness rather than being frank.

Japanese Collectivism Continued• High-context cultures are

extremely polite, which fits with the indirect, subtle nature of interpersonal communication.

• One purpose of this style of communication is to avoid threatening the face of one’s conversation partner, thus bringing shame upon oneself. What is not said may be more important than what is said. (Satoko Suzuki)

American Data: Subjects 1 & 2

American Subjects 3 & 4

American Subject 5

Findings: Selfies: 10/25 Group Photos: 11/25

Misc. Photos: 4/25

Findings:

• Nearly all uploads have the subject in them.

• There is a very even distribution of Selfies vs. group photos.

How this relates to Individualist values• “I” Identity: People

are encouraged to do things on their own; to rely on themselves

• Sharing an unlimited amount information about one’s self online is now a cultural norm.

American Individualistic Values Continued

• Some researchers strongly suspect that social networking may favor narcissistic behavior, too (Clemmitt, M).

• All of these studies clearly show the Internet and online social networking are major players in the rise self-centeredness in American culture.

Comparison of American vs. Japanese Instagram Photos and

Cultural Differences• Photos from sample are closely

tied to the characteristics of American individualistic and Japanese collectivistic cultures

• Due to the emphasis on social bonding and interdependence, Japanese people may focus on the maintenance and enhancement of relationships with close ties in the non-virtual world.

• Meanwhile, Americans are likely to expand their network by making new connections with those who share common interests, which often result in weak relationships.

Conclusion• My findings concluded that

American Instagram users are far more reliant on the application as a means of self-representation.– Used almost as a tool of self-

promotion, as nearly all photos are Selfies, or themselves with others, fitting with American individualist influence.

• Japanese users were far less willing to upload photos of themselves, and even less inclined to included photos with others– This conclusion is also parallel with

collective values, which puts more of an emphasis on closer, more meaningful relationships than what can be provided virtually.

ReferencesAcar, Adam. "Culture And Social Media Usage: Analysis Of Japanese Twitter Users." International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies (2013): 21-32. Print.Clemmitt, M. (2010, September 17). Social networking. CQ Researcher , 20 , 749-772. Retrieved fromhttp://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/Satoko Suzuki, Kosuke Takemura (2013), Culture and Social Media:

Exploration of Differences Between the United States and Japan, in Miguel R. Olivas-Luján, Tanya Bondarouk (ed.) Social Media in Strategic Management (Advanced Series in Management, Volume 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.245-258Sohn, Dongyoung. Social Network Structures and the Internet: Collective Dynamics in Virtual Communities. Amherst, NY: Cambria, 2008. Print.Zollman, Josh. #SelfishCultureProblems: The Rise of a Self-Centered Culture. Diss. 2012. Print.