Government Communication on Instagram in the Light of Technological Determinism – Examples from Germany
Government Communication on Instagram in the Light of Technological Determinism – Examples from Germany

Summary/Abstract: The article examines government communication on the Instagram against the backdrop of the theory of technological determinism. In light of this theory, communication technologies determine communication (hard determinism) or create new communication opportunities that are not a necessity (soft determinism). The aim of the article is to explore government communication on the Instagram using German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt) as an example. Drawing on linguistics and media studies and using multimodal analysis, the authors check whether Instagram forms of expression, trends and viral formats have penetrated government communication about important national and international issues. Drawing on Magdalena Makowska’s multimodal analyses, the authors analyze the multimodality of government posts on Instagram. The conclusions from the qualitative analysis may become a contribution to further quantitative explanatory analyses and considerations on the role of platforms in contemporary society, not only at the local level but also at the national and international level.

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