My 2019 RMIT experience began with going to the Networked Media lecture. I find it amusing that I would go on to spend the entirety of the day learning about the way in which online media such as Instagram is prevalent in our lives, without having the time to actually go online myself. The absence of Instagram from my life that day made me feel like I was missing out on a source of entertainment. That the stories shared were fleeting, and that with limited free time, I wouldn’t be able to scroll and see everything I wanted to.

I never thought that Instagram would be such a big interest of mine. But here I am talking about it as if I’m addicted to it. I don’t feel so alone though with my thoughts because in the lecture, when asked which social media platforms we use, majority said Instagram. In the lecture I was reminded of how the app can be used for fun as well as to develop a professional online presence. That Instagram enables someone to promote themselves to a wider audience and even be paid for making posts and stories. It makes me wonder if Instagram has become an idealistic form of money making. That by allowing anyone to post, anyone can become big. This reminds me of Niederer’s (2018, p. 7) argument that ‘this online image realm has become much larger than any of us (or at least I) could have ever imagined.’ I found this to be an important part of this week’s reading because it makes me curious about the possibilities media has in influencing how society functions. That not only can different forms of media mix, but different facets of society can now intertwine with media. Therefore, I am excited to learn about the capabilities of Instagram as an influential app in the online network. Plus, hopefully now I can use the excuse that my time on Instagram isn’t a waste because I’m doing “research”.  

Reference:

Niederer, S 2018, Networked images: visual methodologies for the digital age. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, pp. 1-20.

Image Source:

https://giphy.com/stickers/love-instagram-nbQhrNzt8tSqaKwhRt