Instagram is an entirely visual platform which purpose is to enable users to share videos and photos, and it has become a space for aesthetic visual communication with specific rules and formats that have shaped different visual cultures. In this research, I am focusing on one particular visual culture. I focused on people posting indigenous tribes, sharing photos and videos of indigenous people, their food, handicrafts, and socio-cultural situations. Through this research, I intend to show how Instagram is becoming a medium for promoting indigenous communities and preserving their identities and traditions. Starting from the question “How is Mexican Indegenism developed on Instagram?’’ I developed research aimed to discover which types of accounts are promoting indigenism and how they are doing it, people’s motives for sharing, the context in which they interact, and their behaviors, as well as the effects and influence of the digital diffusion of the communities through the platform. To answer this question, after a preliminary context analysis (Visual Culture, Indigenism, and Instagram) I realized three types of research: visual data analysis, interviews, and surveys. The research provides a scenario of Mexican Indigenism on Instagram that consists of 5 main typologies of accounts which are personal accounts, brands, organizations, indigenous promotion, tourism and culture. The accounts mainly share pictures of indigenous people, their handicrafts, and Mexican landscapes. The insta-culture is posting this content in order to promote a positive image of them and reduce discrimination. They are visualizing these pre-hispanic communities that might seem to be lost and are promoting their products and boosting their tourism. They are mainly sharing indigenous people’s portraits because since the Mexican Independence the image of the indigenous became a national symbol of distinction and cultural identity, something that is still being transmitted through Instagram.
Instagram è una piattaforma social interamente dedicata alla condivisione di video e foto, questa è diventata uno spazio di comunicazione visiva con regole e formati specifici che hanno dato vita a diverse culture visive. Ho incentrato la mia ricerca in una particolare cultura visiva. Mi sono focalizzata sulla condivisione di contenuti inerenti alla vita di persone all’interno di tribù indigene, dei loro usi e costumi, il loro cibo e la loro condizione socioculturale. Tramite questa ricerca voglio mostrare come Instagram è diventato uno strumento per promuovere queste comunità, preservando la loro identità e tradizioni. Partendo dalla domanda “Come si è sviluppato l’indigenismo Messicano su Instagram?” ho sviluppato una ricerca finalizzata a scoprire quali tipologie di account promuovono questo indigenismo e in che modo. Quali sono le ragioni per condividere questo tipo di contenuto, in che contesto interagiscono, il loro comportamento; così come l’effetto e l’influenza della diffusione digitale delle comunità tramite la piattaforma. Per rispondere a questa domanda, dopo un’analisi di contesto preliminare (Visual Culture, Indigenism, e Instagram) ho realizzato tre tipi di ricerca: analisi visiva dei dati, interviste e sondaggi. La ricerca prevede un’ipotetica situazione di indigenismo Messicano, su Instagram, che consiste in cinque principali tipologie di account, tra i quali ci sono i personali, di brand, promozione di culture indigene, turismo e cultura. Questi condividono principalmente fotografie di indigeni, il loro artigianato e paesaggi messicani. Le Insta-culture pubblicano contenuti in modo da creare un’immagine positiva e ridurre le discriminazioni verso queste minoranze. Gli account in analisi mettono in luce queste comunità pre-ispaniche, che sembra si stiano extinguiendo, cercando di promuovere i loro prodotti, incrementando il loro turismo. Inoltre la condivisione di ritratti di persone indigene permette a queste etnie di mantenere la loro immagine come simbolo, poiché dopo l’indipendenza messicana la raffigurazione della persona indigena divenne simbolica a livello nazionale per la loro identità culturale; tutto questo viene tramandato tuttora attraverso Instagram.
Indigenism in the times of Instagram. Analysis on Mexican indigenism Insta-culture
de Alba Valdez, Maria Fernanda
2020/2021
Abstract
Instagram is an entirely visual platform which purpose is to enable users to share videos and photos, and it has become a space for aesthetic visual communication with specific rules and formats that have shaped different visual cultures. In this research, I am focusing on one particular visual culture. I focused on people posting indigenous tribes, sharing photos and videos of indigenous people, their food, handicrafts, and socio-cultural situations. Through this research, I intend to show how Instagram is becoming a medium for promoting indigenous communities and preserving their identities and traditions. Starting from the question “How is Mexican Indegenism developed on Instagram?’’ I developed research aimed to discover which types of accounts are promoting indigenism and how they are doing it, people’s motives for sharing, the context in which they interact, and their behaviors, as well as the effects and influence of the digital diffusion of the communities through the platform. To answer this question, after a preliminary context analysis (Visual Culture, Indigenism, and Instagram) I realized three types of research: visual data analysis, interviews, and surveys. The research provides a scenario of Mexican Indigenism on Instagram that consists of 5 main typologies of accounts which are personal accounts, brands, organizations, indigenous promotion, tourism and culture. The accounts mainly share pictures of indigenous people, their handicrafts, and Mexican landscapes. The insta-culture is posting this content in order to promote a positive image of them and reduce discrimination. They are visualizing these pre-hispanic communities that might seem to be lost and are promoting their products and boosting their tourism. They are mainly sharing indigenous people’s portraits because since the Mexican Independence the image of the indigenous became a national symbol of distinction and cultural identity, something that is still being transmitted through Instagram.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/178826