Sara Raffel
ABSTRACT
This paper critiques the use of a social network analysis methodology for examining the reach and influence of Instagram hashtags, paying particular attention to Instagram posts and hashtags that deal with the depiction and narrativization of natural spaces such as public lands and national parks. Social network analysis emphasizes the influence of human actors in the studied network [1]. This type of analysis, Swartz mentions, can become “a research design that analyzes community behaviors at scale without forgoing the rich detail that comes from close observation” [2]. Ultimately, this paper argues the importance of understanding that the network one is examining may have limitations and exclusions based on socioeconomic status.
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Index Terms
- Using Social Network Analysis to Examine Instagram Narratives of Natural Spaces
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