Confess, Come Together, Change the World (or Not): Mental Illness Discourse on Instagram Amongst Queer Women and Non-Binary People
(2020) SIMV21 20191Graduate School
Master of Science in Social Studies of Gender
- Abstract
- This study explores the usage of Instagram by queer women and non-binary people within the context of divulging intimate details of one’s mental illnesses on the platform. Situated within a framework of Foucauldian ‘confession culture’and the radical feminist concept of ‘the personal is political’ amongst others, this research uses interviews and autoethnography to understand and contextualise queer women and non-binary people’s motivations for their confessional practices on Instagram. These motivations are found to be a search for a sense of belonging and community and a wish to engage in political action for social change. The viability and extent of achieving these goals is explored and problematised. Furthermore, autoethnography is... (More)
- This study explores the usage of Instagram by queer women and non-binary people within the context of divulging intimate details of one’s mental illnesses on the platform. Situated within a framework of Foucauldian ‘confession culture’and the radical feminist concept of ‘the personal is political’ amongst others, this research uses interviews and autoethnography to understand and contextualise queer women and non-binary people’s motivations for their confessional practices on Instagram. These motivations are found to be a search for a sense of belonging and community and a wish to engage in political action for social change. The viability and extent of achieving these goals is explored and problematised. Furthermore, autoethnography is used to explore how consuming memes on Instagram can be incorporated into an anti-future politics which stands in contrast to the politics of hope espoused by the interviewees. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9003249
- author
- Boom, Kesiena LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SIMV21 20191
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Foucault, Instagram, queer, LGBTQ, lesbian, bisexual, mental health, mental illness, the personal is political, memes, confession, anti-future, belonging, community, political action, autoethnography
- language
- English
- id
- 9003249
- date added to LUP
- 2020-02-11 12:07:39
- date last changed
- 2020-02-11 12:07:39
@misc{9003249, abstract = {{This study explores the usage of Instagram by queer women and non-binary people within the context of divulging intimate details of one’s mental illnesses on the platform. Situated within a framework of Foucauldian ‘confession culture’and the radical feminist concept of ‘the personal is political’ amongst others, this research uses interviews and autoethnography to understand and contextualise queer women and non-binary people’s motivations for their confessional practices on Instagram. These motivations are found to be a search for a sense of belonging and community and a wish to engage in political action for social change. The viability and extent of achieving these goals is explored and problematised. Furthermore, autoethnography is used to explore how consuming memes on Instagram can be incorporated into an anti-future politics which stands in contrast to the politics of hope espoused by the interviewees.}}, author = {{Boom, Kesiena}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Confess, Come Together, Change the World (or Not): Mental Illness Discourse on Instagram Amongst Queer Women and Non-Binary People}}, year = {{2020}}, }