making media

BCM241

Ethnography, as described in lectures, is a qualitative research approach that necessitates immersing oneself in a certain cultural or social niche in order to comprehend its dynamics. In this study, I investigated the digital niche of student life combining several jobs on sites such as Reddit and Instagram. These venues gave useful insights into how students discuss their stories, provide guidance, and form communities around their challenges.

The lecture on online identities emphasized a transition from representational to presentational media, with personas acting as performative, mediatized, and collective entities (Week 08_BCM 241, 07_BCM 241). Drawing on Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956), I approached my work as a “performance,” intentionally developing the persona StudentLifeBalance to connect honestly with my audience. Jenkins’ participatory culture shaped my view of how digital communities thrive on collaborative efforts.

Persona Summary

In developing my StudentLifeBalance persona, I drew on classroom insights about performative and mediatised personas to authentically connect with students facing academic and personal challenges. The performative persona concept (07_BCM 241) helped me craft an identity that was intentionally relatable and supportive, allowing me to perform the role of a student who understands the struggles of balancing school and mental health. The mediatized persona idea (07_BCM 241) led me to adapt StudentLifeBalance for different platforms: on Instagram, where visuals dominate, I focused on polished and aesthetic content, while on Reddit where text and humor are more prominent, I shared memes and casual posts. This approach helped me reach micro-publics-specific groups of students who could relate to the content, allowing for genuine interaction and a consistent, trustworthy connection (08_BCM 241).

On Instagram, I built visually appealing reels since they are more likely to capture attention and generate immediate engagement. These reels, which included study techniques and motivational recommendations, combined minimalist aesthetics, popular music, and subtitles designed to elicit an emotional response. To broaden my reach, I proliferated this information for Reddit, modifying it into extensive pieces that suit with the platform’s desire for depth and conversation.

This content proliferation approach prioritized platform-specific behaviors, reflecting the performative and collaborative aspect of online identities (07_BCM 241). By remaining honest and adapting material to each channel, I was able to create meaningful connections while guaranteeing consistency throughout my specialty.

Cracking the Code

Discovery 1: Humor Drives the Engagement Vehicle on Instagram

One of my most significant discoveries was the fact that humor drives the engagement vehicle on Instagram. A reel I created depicted the humorous contrast between intentions (sticking to mental health routines) and reality (endless procrastination). By using trending music and dynamic visuals, the reel struck gold with my audience.

The comic’s commentary on a common struggle—planning to enhance mental health with habits like sleep, exercise, and organization, only to procrastinate—hit home with my fans. Many individuals agreed, as seen by their replies and comments. The humour made the topic more approachable and relevant, and it elicited significant responses from my audience.

Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes visually appealing, relatable content. According to Boyd (2014), platforms like Instagram thrive on curation and performance, making humor and relatability key tools for connection. Additionally, Goffman’s concept of the “front stage” performance explains why presenting my persona as authentic and vulnerable built trust​ (07_BCM 241).

why it worked?

Instagram’s success can be attributed to its ability to utilise humour to connect with users’ shared experiences. My reel’s blend of lightheartedness and relatability made it more than just hilarious it was engaging. It promoted a lot of conversation and strengthened my relationship with my audience, making the message feel more personal and approachable.

Discovery 2: Reddit Requires a Community-Driven Approach

Following the popularity of my Instagram reel, I decided to proliferate it as a meme for Reddit. I altered the information to fit the popular “Success Kid” meme format. The caption reads:

“I want to prioritise my mental health by getting 8 hours of sleep, exercising, and organising my calendar, as well as avoiding social media before bed.
Scroll for three hours instead.”

I thought this humorous take would resonate with Reddit users, particularly in the r/studentlife subreddit. However, the response was quite different from Instagram. While the meme received 66 likes and 2 shares, no one commented on it, and the overall engagement was minimal compared to the reel’s performance on Instagram.

This had me wondering about what went wrong. One important component was the subreddit itself. Unlike Instagram, where my followers are already engaged with my material, r/studentlife is a somewhat inactive group. Even if a post is relevant, it may not receive much attention. Furthermore, Reddit values active debates over short chuckles. Memes, although entertaining, hardly generate the deep involvement that Redditors want.

Key Takeaway

Reddit’s success depends on community engagement, in contrast to Instagram, where users value instant entertainment. It takes more than simply amusing memes to establish a genuine connection on Reddit it’s about contributing to discussions, engaging with others, and fostering a sense of belonging within the community.

This Auto ethnographic journey deepened my understanding of digital student life, revealing how platforms like Instagram and Reddit shape and reflect audience behaviors. On Instagram, I learned that authenticity and humor are powerful tools for fostering relatability and connection. On Reddit, I discovered the importance of aligning content with community expectations, particularly in less active subreddits like r/studentlife.

These discoveries have reshaped my approach to content creation. I now recognize that successful platform proliferation requires more than format adaptation it demands a deep understanding of platform cultures, audience preferences, and engagement styles. Theories like Goffman’s Presentation of Self and Jenkins’ participatory culture have been invaluable in analyzing these dynamics.

Through this project, I also developed key ethnographic skills, including participant observation, reflexivity, and the ability to analyze digital interactions critically. Moving forward, I plan to build on these lessons, crafting content that not only resonates with audiences but also contributes meaningfully to the digital communities I engage with.

References

1. Boyd, D. (2014). It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.
2. Ellis, C., Adams, T.E., & Bochner, A.P. (2011). “Autoethnography: An Overview.” Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1).
3. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Doubleday Anchor.
4. Hine, C. (2015). Ethnography for the Internet: Embedded, Embodied and Everyday. Bloomsbury Academic.
5. Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.
6. Massanari, A. (2015). Participatory Culture, Community, and Play: Learning from Reddit. Peter Lang.
7. McLuhan, M., 2019. The medium is the message (1964). In Crime and media (pp. 20-31). Routledge.
8. Sheldon, P. & Bryant, K. (2016). “Instagram: Motives for its Use and Relationship to Narcissism and Contextual Age.” Computers in Human Behavior, 58, pp. 89-97.
9. Van Dijck, J. (2013). The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford University Press
10. University of Wollongong. (2024). Week 7: Online Personas. [Lecture slides]. BCM241: Ethnographic Practices. University of Wollongong Dubai.
11. University of Wollongong. (2024). Week 8: Content Proliferation and Platform Affordances. [Lecture slides]. BCM241: Ethnographic Practices. University of Wollongong Dubai