Instameets in

London

Rafaella Danon

Schivartche

Introduction

1

Ethnography

Insights Conclusion

2

3 4

INTRODUCTION

1

Guiding

Questions

5

What is the nature, value and impact of

technologies on social life?

How Is Technology

being seen as an

answer to these

social needs?

How is the offline

supporting the

online, and vice

versa?

Why is there a need

to expand one’s

identity and social

life past a socially

ascribed context?

How is Instagram bringing together

online and offline spaces of interaction?

How is the platform offering an

alternative social context for its users?

In particular,

And in doing so,

THE ETHNOGRAPHY

2

OBJECTIVE: to investigate aspects of identity,

belonging and socialization present on Instagram.

FOCUS: to uncover the significance of online and

offline spaces and the nature of the relationship

between space and identity.

ARGUMENT: it is through Instameets that Instagram

has the unique ability to juxtapose online and

offline interactions, providing different liminal

spaces that support the creation of a new social

context in which an alternative lifestyle emerges

through the collective challenging of daily life and

the formation of expressive identities and bonds.

B R I E F C O N T E X T O F T H E S T U D Y

“These past few months have

been a huge whirlwind in terms

of Instagram. It has taken over

so much of my life; I’ve met so

many different people I would

never meet. This community

spirit has been really eye-

opening for me and made me

realise how we are all

connected.” (Informant)

Field Sites

10

Unique opportunity to conduct ethnography in

both dimensions

ONLINE OFFLINE

Meetup.com and

Instagram Profiles

Instameets

London

March – August 201410 Instameets

20 in-depth interviews + casual conversations

11

Unique opportunity to conduct ethnography in

both dimensions

ONLINE OFFLINE

Meetup.com: information hub, crucial for understanding how the community

presents and organises itself.

Instagram Profiles: promotes the Instameets and endorses the London

community by featuring photos taken

during the meets.

Instameets: photowalks occuring in different locations in the city such

as parks, art centres, underground

stations and special events

occurring in London.

W H O A R E T H E I N S T A G R A M E R S ?

2011 Philippe Gonzalez created a blog called

Instagramers with tips about the platform.

Soon afterward he was approached by

fellow platform users asking him to help them

set up local groups and use the

‘Instagramers’ brand he had created. Later

that year, Instagram aficionados in

Barcelona got together for the first Instameet.

Instameets are still an independent entity,

only endorsed but in no way organized by

the platform. In 2014 @igers communities in

+350 cities celebrated their love for

Instagram.

@ I G E R S L O N D O N

March 2011: 5-10 people meet and greet at

a park to finally meet those they had been

following and interacting with online for so

long. Today @igerslondon meets have an

average of about 50-60 participants.

@igerslondon is the only community officially

recognised by Instagram however there are

other active groups in the city: @click london,

@bleeding london,@london_only, @london

Characteristics:

• Heterogenous, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic

• Diverse age range

• Informal and creative bonds based on

artistic expression

“Instagramers London forms part of the global

Instagramers.com network of mobile photography

communities using the Instagram app. We plan

meetups and organise events, providing the London mobile photography community with

opportunities to meet each other and take and share great

photographs.” (Website)

L O N D O N I N S T A M E E T S

‘A fun, great way of meeting like-minded ’people’ while

walking and taking photos.

Two basic elements are required to become an @iger: an

Instagram profile and some sort of camera device to

work with, preferably a mobile phone.

Three main guidelines to follow: camaraderie, equality

and reciprocity. These unspoken parameters of conduct

are neither formally advertised nor imposed; rather, they

come in the form of actions of politeness and ‘insta-

etiquette.

Members have formed a local and closely linked

community that is built upon aspects of horizontality and

spontaneity, following emotional rather than constraining

guidelines to ensure an open, heterogeneous and non-

restrictive social environment.

INSIGHTS

3

17

@igers interact in a continuous and mutually

dependent cycle of motivation and encounter.

@igerslondon use the technology provided by the platform to extend the possibilities for online encounters and offline

exchanges.

ONLINE

CONTEXT

OFFLINE

DOMAIN

online context

provides the

original opportunity

for encounters

between @igers to

flourish

offline domain

that produces the

content to bolster

the community’s

continuity online

Social activities occur and

overlap in both worlds.

18Instameets are an opportunity for extending one’s social network and provide an alternative context in which people are able to discover they have something in

common, be it circumstances, interests, lifestyle, values…

GETTING OUT OF

COMFORT ZONE

Different moments of

change placed these

individuals into a

preliminal state, one

that initiated the

process of separating

them from their

previous lifestyle

MEETING

@IGERSLONDON

Combination of the

inspirational nature of

photography and the

instantly shareable

character of the

Instagram platform.

FLAT SOCIAL LIVES

Mostly participating in

less costly (in terms of

time and money) and

non-challenging (in

terms of learning and

development) social

activities within known

social circles

Comfortable Zone Process of Removal Creative Zone

Dependent State Instameet Independent State

19

Instameets are a ‘moment in and out of time’ and offer a

safe space for social and aesthetic transgressions which are

vital to the existence of the @iger identity and community.

This context of leisure represents liberation from the obligations prescribed by social institutions and from the forced, regulated rhythms of work and family life. It also signifies freedom to enter

new symbolic worlds of entertainment and creativity.

Playing with notions of authorship in

the form of Collabs:creative associations between two

@igers who may or may not have

previously met in person.

Playing with normative

relationship structures. Friendships form based on

aesthetic taste rather than

age.

“Basically, one person is the owner of the photo

and the other is the editor, meaning the one who

manipulates the image and transforms it by using

other apps. I always like to share these photos and

give the original photographer the credit as well.”

(Informant)

‘When I talk about being younger, maybe [it’s] not younger in age, but there’s a

‘youthness’ to them – an edgy, younger feel. This expresses itself in pictures as well.’

(Informant)

CONCLUSION

3

G L O B A L Y E T L O C A L C O M M U N I T Y

Instagram has had a unique impact on its

participants’ lives:

• through its distinct ability to bring together

interchangeably online and offline

interactions.

• by supporting the creation of an

alternative lifestyle and challenging

previous social conditions.

It is a great example that illustrates the use of

technology as part of a context that

connects people, based in human emotion

as well as creative expression, translated into

elements of individuality, community,

recognition and freedom.

“My family thought it was weird that I was going to meet people to take photographs, but it was such a relief

when I found them.” (Informant)

“Now I’m finding my real community – even if it’s an

international community made up of people I will never meet or will

physically see once or twice in my life.” (Informant)

THANK YOU!

This presentation is a reduced version of the dissertation submitted by Rafaella

Danon Schivartche in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

M.Sc. in Digital Anthropology (UCL) of the University of London in Sep. 2014.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

License.