Social Mapping by Nikita Lynton

Instagram Kills Photo Maps. (Hinchliffe, 2016, http://mashable.com/2016/09/06/instagram-kills-photo-maps/#3Qq3bVVXySqW) 

Maps serve a dual purpose. It can show where a person has been or where a person aspires to be. Maps also provide a course of direction and can be used as a way of tracking. What is the first thing you see when you look at a map? For myself, the first thing I see is the different colours. The visual representations on a map or virtual map catch my attention first because they stand out. Maps can be interpreted differently based on the individuals perspective. In relation to Prouty’s concept, the flaneur’s ambiguous social position gave him a kind of dual vision Prouty (2009). Further elaboration portrays the flaneur to be reflecting on more than one identity and or perspective. Maps are also mirrors and shapers of place and space Kuttainen (2017). 

Maps contain many components such as; direction, colour, text, etc. Social media platforms also contain the same components, if not more. All social media platforms are maps of an individuals identity. In this case, Instagram allows you to create a mirror image of yourself, I use the term ‘mirror’ because the virtual identity you create is just a reflection of yourself, in other words, it’s not transparent. Just like other social media sites, Instagram is a ‘conversation starter’, it connects you to people everywhere, thus having a connection worldwide. Instagram, for some, is the center of their universe. However, some are unaware of this obsessive behaviour until they are confronted with an alternative perspective. Prouty’s concept of the flaneur states that this specific type of person is someone who goes through life only engaging in their surroundings when it interests them Prouty (2009). This is established as the majority of Instagrammers only interact with things if the subject matter interests them, thus creating the individuals own ‘universe’. Much like Prouty’s turtle-walker, he is as much at home among the facades of the houses as a citizen within his four walls Prouty (2009). 

In my opinion, it’s all about perspective. Woods, Kaiser & Abramms (2006, pp. 1-12) provides an example of this when he and his friend are having lunch together, but seated differently. Thus ultimately changing the individuals perspective of the lunch date. Ever pondered why we ‘follow’ the maps of a social network? It’s because we naturally accept that that is the “norm”. Because other Instagrammers post specific types of images, you post images similar because at that point in time, it's the trend, it's the “norm”. Instagram also allows you to be accepted within their virtual community through the interaction of people sharing the same interests. 

Instagram can be viewed as a contemporary form of social mapping. When you log into your account, you’re directed to different destinations, just like a map.You’re lurking through the tabs, profiles, images, videos, etc. Hence, making you, the flaneur. 

Reference List 

Hinchliffe, E. (2016). Instagram Kills Photo Maps [image]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2016/09/06/instagram-kills-photo-maps/#3Qq3bVVXySqW 

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 4 notes [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/ 

Prouty, R. (2009, October 28). A Turtle on a Leash. Retrieved from http://www.onewaystreet.typepad.com/one_way_street/2009/10/a-turtle-on-a-leash.html 

The Filtered Self: What Instagram Postings Reveal About an Individual's Sense of Identity. (2017). Retrieved from https://issuu.com/stephiesteiner/docs/steiner_research.docx 

Wood, D., Kaiser, L. W., & Abramms, B. (2006). Seeing Through Maps. Oxford, United Kingdom: New Internationalist Publications.