Information and Organizational Self-Presentation: A Case Study of Kela’s Communication on Instagram

Authors

• Jannika Lassus University of Helsinki
• Andreas Nord Uppsala University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70484/vakki.161597

Keywords:

communicative function, Instagram, social insurance, Swedish, target group

Abstract

As the use of social media has exploded in the first decades of the 21^st century, institutions and public authorities have set up social media accounts in addition to established channels such as websites and e-services. This article studies the Social Insurance Institution of Finland’s (Kela’s) account “kela_fpa” on Instagram and its permanent posts. The data is from two periods (2021–2022 N=85; 2024 N=38), and the aim is to explore the purposes for which Kela uses Instagram by identifying the functions and the presumed target groups of the permanent posts based on the Swedish written part of the posts. The results indicate that Kela uses Instagram for “traditional” unidirectional communicative purposes such as giving information about social insurance issues and general information about Kela’s own services, mainly for younger audiences such as students and parents. At the same time, the posts make use of interpersonal resources and express Kela’s values, although all platform affordances are not exploited. This content can be associated with a more self-promotional function, through symbolic acts and organizational self-presentation, aimed at generating sympathy for Kela by associating it with positive progressive values and thus building trust.