Instagram sukupuolittuneen politiikan alustana

Authors

• Hanna Ylöstalo Turun yliopisto
• Heini Kinnunen Turun yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37452/politiikka.125557

Keywords:

epäpolitisoituminen, Instagram, sosiaalinen media, sukupuoli, tasa-arvopolitiikka

Abstract

The article examines Instagram as a platform for gendered politics and asks, what politics in Instagram is. It uses as data Sanna Marin’s government’s five key minister’s Instagram pictures from 2021 (N=915) and Instagram stories from April 2022 (N=550). It combines quantifying approach that covers the whole data with close reading of individual pictures. Theoretically it draws from discussions regarding depoliticization and division between private and political, from feminist political theory. The article shows that politicians’ Instagram is strongly built on practices of parliamentary politics, while also drawing from everyday politics that is typical of Instagram. Instagram as a visual social media that avoids conflicts and is based on independent communication lacks political content and dissent. As a gendered platform for politics Instagram diversifies political representation, but lacks concrete content about gender equality policy.