REPOST IF YOU AGREE: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INSTAGRAM ACTIVISM IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of Instagram activism in Singapore, focusing on the idea of connective action, the political and cultural outcomes of social movements and how its application to Instagram can be understood in Singapore’s socio-political context. Throughout social movement literature, there has always been an overwhelming amount of coverage on the political consequences of movement activity (e.g. policy change, legislative recognition) while scholarship on cultural impacts (e.g. changes in attitudes, social norms and vocabulary used to discuss social issues) have been scarce. This imbalance is often posited by many scholars to be the result of the difficulty in setting the parameters for cultural consequences, while political outcomes are easily measured by established legal definitions and laws. As such, this thesis argues that the widely-used social media platform, Instagram, is effective in inducing cultural consequences, which are becoming increasingly significant and relevant to social movements. Focusing on Singaporean Instagram accounts which specialise in uploading social commentary about local issues (e.g. discrimination against ethnic minorities, government vs opposition), this thesis will perform an in-depth analysis on the mechanisms of Instagram, how it facilitates cultural outcomes for movements that utilise it and whether it is ultimately effective in achieving movement goals. To ground this analysis in a local context, the paper will also explore the nature of the strict Singaporean government, which has a reputation for being intolerant of public criticism towards the state, both online and offline.