Summary Findings of Instagram Surveys

Part of At Cambridge Research for the On Instagram Project, this page will summarize findings from the survey questionnaires in order to simplify my writing about it!

The Questions

 * 1) Why do you take Photos?
 * 2) Why share them on Instagram, rather than say, keeping them private?
 * 3) Do you feel you take photos for yourself, or for others?
 * 4) Is your photography a hobby, or do you professional aspirations?
 * 5) Do the photos of other Instagram users unform the photos you take or the way you take them?

Biases

 * English language requried -> Working language fluency and confidence
 * Second question leads a bit towards the word "share" by using it in the question

Approaches

 * These questionnaires were done in two groups. A London group that I met at the InstaMeet on March 24th, 2011 in London, and a global group I interacted with during my four week participant observation in-app. The two groups should be compared for discrepancies, then taken as a whole.


 * For reading thru the results, 6 categories were observed as motivations/rationals for using Instagram/sharing photography to social media networks


 * 1) Sharing (Which often means communicate or "posses a view in common with others" / "enjoy something jointly with others" [DICTIONARY DEFINTION] I look for actual uses of the word "SHARE")
 * 2) Capture/ Record / Document (Preserve something for memory)
 * 3) See (Vision or sight as a privileged sense)
 * 4) Comment / Community (Responses as validation or reason to reach out)
 * 5) Art / Creativity (The "Creative" Outlet)
 * 6) Therapy (The rarest response, participation in photograph as an "escape" or "healing" )

London

 * WHY TAKE PHOTOS
 * SHARE - 4 of 12 (33%)
 * CAPTURE - 8 of 12 (66%)
 * SEE - 4 of 12 (33%)
 * COMMUNITY - 1 of 12
 * CREATIVITY - 3 of 12 (25%)
 * THERAPY - 1 of 12


 * WHY SHARE ON IG?
 * SHARE - 8 of 12 (66%) [Keep in mind "share" is used in question]
 * CAPTURE - 1 of 12
 * SEE - 4 of 12 (33%)
 * COMMUNITY - 7 of 12 (58%) [Very related to Share]
 * CREATIVITY - 0 of 12 (25%)
 * THERAPY - 0 of 12
 * [Conclusions - The people, the audience, the reception make sharing worth it]


 * FOR SELF OR OTHERS
 * Myself - 1
 * BOTH - 11
 * START ME THEN 'WE' - 5 [An Instagram Consequence - The socializing of images? ]


 * HOBBY OR PRO
 * Hobby - 9
 * Pro - 0
 * Hobby going Pro - 3


 * OTHER PHOTOS INFLUENCE
 * Yes - 7
 * Sometimes - 4
 * No / Not really -2

Global

 * WHY TAKE PHOTOS
 * SHARE - 1 of 11
 * CAPTURE - 6 of 11
 * SEE - 5 of 11
 * COMMUNITY - 0 of 11
 * CREATIVITY - 3 of 11
 * THERAPY - 2 of 11


 * WHY SHARE ON IG?
 * SHARE - 3 of 11 [Keep in mind "share" is used in question]
 * CAPTURE - 1 of 11
 * SEE - 4 of 11
 * COMMUNITY - 10 of 11 (58%) [Very HIGH, related to Share but more explicit]
 * CREATIVITY - 0 of 12 (25%)
 * THERAPY - 0 of 12
 * [Conclusions - The people, the audience, the reception make sharing worth it]


 * FOR SELF OR OTHERS
 * Myself - 4
 * BOTH - 5
 * START ME THEN 'WE' - 2 [An Instagram Consequence - The socializing of images? ]


 * HOBBY OR PRO
 * Hobby - 6
 * Pro - 1
 * Hobby going Pro - 2
 * PRO, but not Pro Photo - 1
 * Lifestyle - 1


 * OTHER PHOTOS INFLUENCE
 * Yes - 7
 * I Don't Know - 1
 * No / Not really -3