In my thesis, I studied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-presentation of young people on Instagram. I was interested in how the practices of using this medium and the content of posts changed during this time. I posed two research questions. The first related to whether the use of Instagram increased or decreased during this period and what were the motivations for changes in the frequency of use (e.g. new rules and restrictions, movement bans, distance learning). The second question focused on the content changes of posts, i.e. how the nature and topic of the content changed. Based on eleven semi-structured interviews with young people using Instagram, I found that the use of this medium mostly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the main motivations for more frequent use, feelings of boredom and the need to maintain social contacts, which were limited due to the ban on movement, stood out. In addition, the way of posting changed for most interviewees. Posts in the form of “stories” began to dominate, which allow for temporary and more relaxed communication. The content of posts also changed. Instead of the usual photos from trips, gatherings and events, users posted content related to everyday, domestic life. Based on the findings obtained, I confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the way young people self-present on Instagram.
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