In the age of social media, the old saying »a picture is worth a thousand words« seems to rule the world. Sophisticated visual aesthetics plays a vital role on Instagram which with 1,3 million of monthly active users is considered to be one of the most popular social networks in the world and also an indispensable and cost-effective opportunity for companies to promote their products or services. This Master's thesis focuses on understanding effective Instagram presence, exploring why virtual storytelling is so important and which visual characteristics of the photos have a positive effect on a user response.
In the theoretical part I introduce the main features of Instagram through review of the relevant literature, then touch on the topic of influencer phenomena and outline the differences in the meaning of photography between now and then. In the emprical part I use Google API and SPSS analysis to focus on a more detailed analysis of 300 photos depicting the lifestyle of ten selected Slovenian companies which have more than 10,000 Instagram followers. The results of the survey have show that the most popular Instagram posts include engagement with influencers, and that fun and inspiring personal content with likes and comments is far more often rewarded by the users than educational and sales content.
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