How Image-Based Social Media Websites Support Social Movements

Abstract

The Internet has disrupted the traditional progression of social movements. We explore common characteristics of image-based activism on Instagram by qualitatively analyzing 300 Instagram posts from three social movements: Black Lives Matter, the battle against defunding Planned Parenthood, and the backlash against the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We found that common types of images emerged among the three social movements, indicating a possible underlying pattern in social movement content posted on Instagram. Users also engage in workarounds to leverage Instagram toward a collective goal, going beyond the features offered by the platform to communicate their message. These findings have implications for future work studying social movement theories online.