What the heck is an Instagram habit and why do I care?
When I think of the term ‘Instagram habits,’ my mind automatically thinks of those annoying articles from any magazine targeted at teenage girls. “Instagram Habits of Single Girls,” “11 Instagram Habits That Could Be Turning Him Off,” and “From “belfies” to the blue stage blur: Bad Instagram habits to break” just to name a few. However, for my ethnographic study I chose to study those habits. No, I will not be studying “belfies” or which Instagram habits ‘turn him off.’ I will be looking at how Instagram bloggers, specifically food bloggers based in Baltimore, use Instagram to spread information. Food information has been spread since early journalism and can now take the form of a simple post on Instagram. Or is it that simple? Food Instagrammers posts are never that simple. Every detail of the post requires calculated judgment. Which filter is best? Where should I tag the location? What hashtags should I use? What should I caption my photo? Even before the post is getting readied to be shared with the world there are various choices to be made. How often should I post? What should I post? Should I only be posting original content? Should I show my personality through my blog? How will I collaborate with other blogs or companies? Who should I follow? And many other questions.
The biggest question of all is how to relate the Instagram habits of modern day foodstagram bloggers back to traditional food journalists. Did traditional food journalists make tough decisions like foodstagrammers do today? Would slotting be an example of one of those tough decisions? In my research, many sources refer to social media outlets as “the enemy of relevant food journalism.” Earlier this week I read an interesting post from classmate Mary Loutsch entitled “College students as ‘Generation Google.’ I found the reading to be very interesting and thought provoking as it discussed this generation’s need for instant information. Although her post focused on students as the ‘generation google’ and her point of view as a library worker, this definitely applies to many other things, including my ethnographic study. She discusses how journalists are expected to be ‘on top of the news’ and how this reflects a society filled with individuals who expect that quick information. Although this topic is very relevant with our generation today regarding to things like checking out books at the library (or should I say lack of checking out books,) this is true with food journalism as well. Why would individuals wait for a lengthy article to be published when they have fast and free access to an endless world of quick and short food information? With the shortening of attention spans and patience, social media outlets are the ideal source of information when it comes to food. How did we get to this point? And how are traditional journalists reacting to this change in this need for immediate content? How has digital liberalism played a role in the creation of food bloggers and in the need for immediate content? I am interested and excited to studying baltimore traditional news sources coverage of food news in comparison to baltimore based foodstagrammers.
