“Photo, or didn’t happen”?
-an instagram user
Photo by Dominik Dancs on Unsplash 
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Gilles Deleuze came up with a new interpretation of the relationship between the real and the virtual, as referred in the Oxford Handbook (Kristensen, 2014). He rejects the notion of the possible in favor of that of the virtual and he suggests that the actual and the virtual are both real. Similarly, Baudrillard (1994) claims that we are living in a state of “hyperreal” (p. 4), describing that there is no distinction between reality and simulation.
More and more individuals have access to the networked world through different ways, and this has raised the concern of many scholars, such as Sherry Turkle and the sociologist and philosopher Jean Baudrillard. They imply that social media are not only used to represent individuals and society, but have also become an expansion of ourselves in different meanings. In order to get a thorough understanding of our experiences in a post-modern, according to Baudrillard, society, I will investigate the case of social media through Instagram.
Using Instagram as an Illustration, I will examine what it is like to encounter Instagram self-representation practice through travel pictures, narrowing it down to the question : To what extent does digital self-representation interweave the real and the virtual? A case study on Instagram travel pictures. Given the fact that our society is technology-mediated, I intend to inquire about whether our perception of reality is affected or not.
In order to answer the research question, I will first introduce the social media application of Instagram. Then, I will provide a short analysis of Verbeek’s mediation theory (2001) in regard to the use of camera phones. I will present the literature review with relevant theoretical arguments on the domains of simulation and hyperreality. Following the conceptualization of the topic, I will present and analyze three written first person experiences, referred to as anecdotes, which will be discussed in the light of the literature review in order to provide an answer to my research question.
Instagrammable
In this section I will briefly explore the application of Instagram from the scope of the paper.
In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama mentioned Instagram, wishing astronaut Scott Kelly good luck in his upcoming mission to space, saying “make sure to Instagram it” to the entire nation (as cited in Kremer, 2015, para. 8).
Instagram is a Social Networking Service, launched in 2010, based around photo-sharing. It is arguably considered as a form of mass communication through the use of visual aids. Participants, called followers, capture and upload pictures, and videos, either distorted or filtered, as posts. They are also able to comment on other user’s posts. From a utilitarian point of view, it seems to be a way to connect people; a modernized communication. However, it seems to be the case that the relationship between social media and the individual has a controversial, complicated outcome.
Examining the use of cameras in phones as a means to upload pictures on Instagram, I will touch upon Verbeek’s mediation theory (2001). According to Ihde, as cited in Verbeek (2001), technologies are incorporated by their users, establishing a relationship between humans and their world through the technological artifact, in our case the camera, referred to as embodiment relation. Accordingly, (as cited in Kamphof, p. 6) Ihde believes that there is a dynamic relationship between the I-media-world that makes all elements co-constitute with each other. Thus, the appearance of people and nature is shaped or even augmented by the way we use filters, perspective and focus.
Methodology
In this section, I will justify my choice of the phenomenological method as the one required to investigate the interplay between the real and the virtual.
Van Manen (1990) refers to phenomenology as a method to study the world through pre-reflexive experiences (as cited in Kamphof, n.d., p. 4). By means of phenomenological practices we aim to understand the “object”, the essence of an experience, by asking questions like “what is the experience like”. Widely used in philosophical and social studies, this method provides first-person experiences of the investigated topic. Within this, the focus is on how we experience the world before we conceptualize what people observe.
To get a profound understanding of the connection between the real and the virtual through Instagram photos, I will document my personal experiences in a descriptive way in the form of anecdotes. I will provide a subjective description of my own experiences in the most truthful way avoiding decoration that brings inaccurate results. Since the anecdotes will be provided by my personal experiences, there are some limitations regarding subjective interferences, the difficulty in evaluating one’s own experience, and the lack of different data to contrast my own experiences with.
Literature Review
In this section, the scholars’ positions will be provided, aiming to reflect on the definition of simulation and its probable implications.
The real, simulation and hyperreality
The researcher Sherry Turkle has dedicated much of her research on the impact of technology on the individual and the identity. According to her, the users of social networks pay much attention to the production of an accepted image-persona, which represents what they think they are, and not who they really are (2011, p. 12). She has argued, (1995), that social media gives the “power” to individuals to shape and shift their own identity, outlining the effects this ability has on their identity and their relationships with each other. Engagement in online environments, referred to as simulated life, is much easier and preferable than the “real world”, which explains why more and more people turn to their smartphones “looking for virtual places where they might once again be more.” (Turkle, 2011, p. 12).
Baudrillard (1994) analyses the reversal of the relation between reality and representation, (as cited in Kellner, 1999). He declares that there is an increasing dependence of our society on models, maps, and representations of life that has disconnected us from the realm of the real. The basis of Baudrillard’s theory is on redefining the sign as a “simulacrum” (Plural=Simulacra) as copies without an original. He uses the term “simulation” to take representation a step further and define a model of reality, a gradual imitation of a real-world system and the erasure of the boundaries between the real and the simulated (1994, p. 2).
To clarify his point, Baudrillard refers to three “orders of simulacra”. Firstly, as in the pre-modern period, the image is a clear representation of the real, recognized as an illusion (e.g. a captured picture). Following, due to mass production and development of copies, the lines between the real and the representation begin to blur, yet the access to the hidden fact of the real is still possible (e.g. pictures with one filter). In the third order, Baudrillard refers to “the precession of simulacra” (1994, p. 1). There is no longer any distinction between reality and its representation; there is only the simulacrum (e.g. distorted pictures with effects and filters). The subordination of “the real” by its representation leads to a final diffusion of the real, to “coincide with their models of simulation” (1994, p. 2). This is the state of “hyperreality”.
According to his essay “The Hyper-realism of Simulation” (Baudrillard, 1976), the abundance of media has rendered our society unable to distinguish between reality itself and the signs of it. As cited in Kellner, 1999, he highlights incapability to differentiate “media representations and the reality which they supposedly represent.” (p. 4). Media have brought about a “(hyper)reality, a new media reality” (as cited in Kellner, 1999, p. 3). The “hyper” here refers to the fact that the media signs become more captivating than the reality itself. Media massification is intensified and this raises the demand for “spectacle and entertainment, thus further eroding the boundary between media and “the real.” (p. 4). The way we experience and give meaning to the world is influenced by simulation, that forms the main reality, by becoming increasingly autonomous, as Baudrillard comments during his interview with La Sept, (Gane, 2002, p. 145). Media signs are turning into objects of communication of meaning, shaped according to the demand: “the perception which one has of greatness is even constituted today by a crowd of spectators” (Gane, 2002, p 147).
We are at the point when one can hardly distinguish between our social media simulacrums and our actual selves, partly because they help to define and even influence our relationships. According to Blau (2015, para 9), Instagram and by extension photographs play an important role in defining the meaningful moments of our existence. She claims that Instagram is a means of creating a story of ourselves and the life that we want to show that we live. This has an impact on the self and the way we interpret both our own and others’ identities, by interacting on these platforms and settling a “hyperreality” with a blurry distinction between our online and offline self (Blau, 2015). Sternheimer (2016) discussed the process of documenting and posting experiences on social media; a practice which is becoming common in modern society. She claims that capturing our offline moments turns out to be more meaningful than even experiencing the moments (2016, para.9). Commenting upon Baudrillard’s points regarding hyperreality, she highlights the importance our society places on the meaning of the “object” and its reproduction rather than the “object” itself (para. 8).
Anecdotes
In this section, I will present three first-person Instagram experiences that will prove helpful to later reflect on the dynamics between the virtual and the real in terms of self-representation by the use of travel pictures. In order to analyze the themes emerging in the anecdotes and study the experiences in a more profound way, I will make use of some of the analytical themes: relationality, temporality, corporeality, spatiality, materiality, as described by van Manen (2014, pp. 303-307), trying to make use of the so called existentials (time, space, body, relation, materiality). How are these experienced in the phenomenon under investigation?
Despair
The following anecdote describes an experience when realising that a friend was travelling while I was under lockdown in my house. The themes of envy, doubt, anger and despair are being contemplated. These will be discussed under the analytical themes of relationality, materiality, and spatiality.
I have no clue how much time I have spent staring at this. I focus and unfocus my eyes on a colorful compelling little screen that does not let them move around. At first it is crystal clear, these blue nuances blending with the orange in a light purple sky landscape. The very next moment everything blurs again. I feel lost in myself, my glance is frozen, no control over my eyes, no focus on this cold metal device in my hands. “Oh wait! Is he travelling again? How come he still visits such places? Is it real?”.“We have a pandemic and general lockdown!”. I feel betrayed by myself who is keeping me locked away from my hometown! I find myself looking around the white walls of my room, as they are getting narrower, keeping me a prisoner of my reality. I am frustrated and envious, as my eyes are again trapped into this miniature picture, showing exactly what I can not do at the given moment.
The comparison with the person behind the distorted picture provokes a rather dramatic experience to my body. I relate myself and my life to a conclusion drawn by a delayed uploaded image, just because it is related to a physical person.
In terms of materiality, Instagram is an on-going reality for me and this online Instagram profile is perceived as a real person who at the same moment is indeed traveling, having a life I do not. The person might have also not travelled, but uploaded a picture wanting to show the opposite. Finally, this moment makes the space around me feel even narrower, as it transfers me instantly to the picture’s landscape and makes me compare to what the alternative possibility of travelling would be like.
Lost
The second phenomenological approach describes an experience where the themes are the urge for self-representation, pride, narcissism, and excitement. These will be assessed through the analytical themes of temporality, materiality and spatiality.
“Oh my God!” “This sunset is astonishing!” I have a short glance at the horizon!-indeed, this sunset is not to be missed! My hand unconsciously touches my pocket and brings the phone out. I struggle to ignore my inherent urge to turn on my camera phone. “This will look wonderful if I increase the contrast and saturation”-”oh yes and with this Ludwig Instagram filter will be even more realistic!”- “CLICK!”. Excitement! Thoughts come and go in my mind, like the waves rolling up the shore! “I have to hurry and take the most I can!”. My eyes are strictly stuck in the tiny circle on the screen, confirming that the focus is as it should be. I try not to move, stand still, not breathe! “It should be the perfect capture! Look at the sun!”. The orange colors become red inside my hands, as I hold the crystal clear promising screen with such excitement, in front of my eyes. I feel proud! “Now everyone will see that I enjoy this summer!” Satisfied! I look around me…my eyes wander for a second around the faded orange sky. I have the perfect sunset in my camera; and the sun is already gone!
In this anecdote, time feels to me too fast. The moment when I capture the event is so overwhelming, that I forget about real time. The space around me disappears and is replaced by the scenery made in my screen, which is only what matters to me. In terms of materiality, the capture that I aim to “create” and upload does not only work as a good memory to me. It is an extension of my narcissist self as a presence, while I care more about the image I show than what I am doing at that very moment. Through this image I convey the message of having fun in fancy places, which I have actually experienced only through the lens of my phone camera.
Stranger
In the last anecdote, the analysis of relationality and materiality through the themes of surprise, confusion and doubt will appear.
I open his instagram profile. “Let’s see what’s in there!”. I suddenly entered his world. My eyes cannot stop browsing his colorful, appealing pictures. My sense of comfort and certitude are overshadowed by a breathcut, as I wonder, before I find myself with mouths open,: “Why does he have so many new uploads?”I thought he was only working and studying!”-”I know he is working and studying..that’s what I know about him”. I bring different scenarios in my confused mind. I scroll down. Colored pictures of parties and places, happy-go-lucky smiles without concerns and responsibilities. Bright faces in natural backgrounds are looking at me, tensenly leading me to double check the name of the profile, secretly hoping I was wrong. “That’s indeed him!”. All the doubts come back again, as I am paralyzed, confused between what I know and what I see. I stare still at the pictures for a moment, as my eyes examine every inch and detail, as if they explore something new. Surprised. Maybe angry. I do not know this person anymore!
Here, the presence of my friend on Instagram belies the image I have created of him, based only on offline interaction. The expectations before I came across his photo album on Instagram regarded a different person with a completely opposite lifestyle. The way the other person represented himself via Instagram led to a fictional existence, a better version of himself, which created confusion and doubt to me in terms of how to handle it. I take his online presence as based on the offline one, but this person is actually different from what he wants to show by uploading pictures of travels.
Discussion
This section contains a discussion based on both the literature review and the data-presentation. It will be structured around the research question: To what extent does digital self-representation interweave the real and the virtual?: A case study on Instagram travel pictures.
Instagram gives the possibility to create a model of ourselves. This is possible by the use of images, either distorted with filters, or as a narrative of ourselves. The latter agrees with the themes analyzed based on my experiences on three practices on Instagram, all having self-representation through travel pictures as a common subject.
Browzing online profiles evoked feelings to me, which means that this experience is not an imitation of reality, but a virtual extension of it. Doubt, despair, confusion and envy while looking at the two profiles emerge mainly from my incapability at first to distinguish between the meaning of the pictures and the reality itself. It turns out, that those users’ accounts can be seen as simulations of themselves, as they have created a glorified version that is not a mere self-representation. As Baudrillard argues (1994), it is hard for me to decide the origin of the pictures, for this reason I took for granted the fact that they were real. Therefore, my opinion about those two people was able to be shaped by looking at their accounts, which in this case can be regarded as Baudrillard’s “simulacra”, creating a different reality which is preceding the original one.
However, based on my data, the fact that in my case the simulacra precede the real does not imply that it completely “destroys” it. The offline experiences are indeed influenced but do not disappear, nor totally determined by the simulacra.
The themes of narcissism, pride and excitement can be discussed under Blau’s, Turkle’s and Sternheimer’s explanations. Here, the urge to construct an image of myself based on the other’s opinion is important to point out, as a phenomenon of imaging to gain existence. This can become easier through the use of Instagram and can influence the way one perceives and gives meaning to “reality”. The practice of making pictures for uploading that seems to shape the importance of the experience itself, agrees with Sternheimer’s (2016) analysis of Baudrillard’s hyperreality. This power to shape our identity, as explained by Turkle (1995) and Baudrillard’s (1990) position, through social media, seems to have led individuals to rely on the “improved” virtual versions of themselves and the acceptance by society, and to set aside or even deny their real life experiences, based on my data. This has created the absorbance of our virtual profiles in everyday life, making it much more difficult to distinguish between the real and the virtual.
My feelings during the experiences are real and not illusory. In terms of relationality, they were based on the offline expectations and relationships with the person behind the two accounts. However, their virtual profiles in combination with those offline were enough to reshape my thoughts. Furthermore, the lived time and space, as well as the way I experienced the use of my phone camera and the image through the screen were influenced by the practice of travel pictures uploading. This leads me to the conclusion that although all three profiles, mine included, are not completely autonomous simulations or signs, rather virtual identities based on the real, they can contribute to shaping my behavior in the real, or rather offline life.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have investigated how self-representation in Instagram, through travel pictures, interweaves the real and the virtual. After describing the features of Instagram as a digital application, I presented and justified the methodology applied to get a deep understanding of the topic “phenomenological approach”. Then, I provided a literature review so as to help establish an academic framework, which I subsequently used to discuss and analyze the data of the anecdotes.
To conclude, Instagram renders the practice of self-representation as a rather interesting one for its users. It offers a space where they can build, play and use their online identity by uploading moments of their everyday life, or constructed pictures of their choice. This paper dealt with the questions around the hyper-realistic nature of Instagram, as a social media platform where simulations make the distinction between the real and the virtual impossible. Based on my results, self-representation in Instagram through travel pictures as a practice can lead to simulations of the self, that blend the real and the virtual. These simulations can even precede the real itself, as they are based on signs that people create about themselves and persuade the audience (followers) about their existence (Sternheimer, 2016). However, Instagram simulation, in my case, is not completely autonomous of the real, nor can it totally determine it, because it is linked to human beings and offline relations.
References
Baudrillard, J. (1900). The hyper-realism of simulation (1976). CH a. P. Wood (Ed.), Art in Theory, 2000, 1018-1019.
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan press.
Blau, A. (2015). Social media and the hyperreal [blogpost]. Medium, March 24.
Gane, M. (2002). Interview 13 THE WORK OF ART IN THE ELECTRONIC AGE: Interview with La Sept. In Baudrillard Live (pp. 153-159). Routledge.
Kamphof I., (2020), phenomenology reader, Maastricht university press. Educational material.
Kellner, D. (1999). Baudrillard: a new McLuhan?. Parol: quaderni d’arte e di epistemologia, Parol online–new media.
Kremer, K. (2015, January 21). President Obama salutes NASA, Astronaut Kelly, and
1 year ISS mission at State of the Union address. Universe Today. Retrieved
Kristensen, A. R., Lopdrup-Hjorth, T., & Sørensen, B. M. (2014). Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995). In The Oxford handbook of process philosophy and organization studies.
Sternheimer, K. (2015). Smart phones and postmodern theory [blogpost]. Everyday Sociology Blog, January 06.
Turkle, S. (1995). Ghosts in the machine. The sciences, 36-40.
Manen, M. van (2014). Phenomenology of practice : Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing (Developing qualitative inquiry, 13). Walnut Creek, California: Left Coast Press.
Turkle, S., & Together, A. (2011). Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, 2011.
Verbeek, P.P. (2001). Don Ihde: The Technological Lifeworld. A. Achterhuis (ed.) American Philosophy of Technology. The Empirical Turn. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, chapter 5, pp.119-146.
