Do You Really Have Power Over What You Share?

Image: Instagram Explore Page (BuisnessVibes, 2016).

Power is something that many people desire. Social media has allowed everyday people to gain a sense of power through what they share within their chosen online networks. However, even though users gain a sense of power, do they really have a full power over what they are sharing?

The virtual network I have chosen to explore throughout the next four weeks is Instagram. I have been a user of the network for three years now. At first Instagram was disempowering for me, as the main images shared were people showing the glamorous unrealistic side to their lives. Sarah Gervais states Instagram has started to become a place where every day untouched images of regular people are shared, not oppressed. I have watched it change throughout the years to something where images are accepted and encouraged. As Foucault explains power is not just a negative thing... Power is a networked space of relations, - and it can also be a necessary productive and positive force in the networks of society (Kuttainen, 2016). Power is given to users by posting what they wish, whether it is an untouched everyday photo or an insight into the more glamorous sides of their lives. It also allows them to have control over who can view their post and who can and cannot follow them.

Although users do have a sense of power within the social media network, they are still very aware that there is a higher power. As Turkle (1995) suggests in our week two readings, individuals learn to look at themselves through the eyes of the prison guard. In this case the prison guard being the Instagram team, who continuously watches over the network and has set rules about what is appropriate and inappropriate to post in relation to comments and photos. I’ll be watching Instagram over the next weeks to see how much power the users I interact with have.

Bibliography

BuisnessVibes. (2016, March 30). Business 2 Community . Retrieved from Instagram’s New Feed Policy, Pro or Con?: http://www.business2community.com/instagram/instagrams-new-feed-policy-pro-con-01498763

Kuttainen, V. (2016). BA1002: Our Space, Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place Lecture 2: Power [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from htttp://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Saiidi, U. (2016, May 21). The power of Instagram: Brands eye more social media influencers. Retrieved from CNBC: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/20/the-power-of-instagram-brands-eye-more-social-media-influencers.html

Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.