The everyday expression of fear on Instagram
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26439/contratexto2025.n44.7955Keywords:
cultural analytics , therapeutic influencers , content analysis , fear, emotions, mental health , Instagram , hashtagAbstract
This article examines the expression of fear on Instagram by analyzing posts that use the term “miedo” as a hashtag, either within the text or through visual elements. The study is part of a broader research project aimed at understanding the social construction of fear through its linguistic manifestation. Its relevance lies in the premise that understanding fear contributes to mitigating its harmful effects. Adopting an exploratory approach, the study employed query designs that produced three subcorpora: (1) contemporary social phenomena associated with fear; (2) posts using the hashtag #miedo; and (3) combinations of #miedo with recurring agents. A total of 12,600 posts published between 2023 and 2024 were analyzed. The methodological design integrated tools from the digital humanities, cultural analytics, and digital ethnography, and was structured in three phases. Findings reveal that fear, as represented in these posts, is primarily linked to mental health. It is portrayed as an individual obstacle to be overcome, and psychoeducation is promoted as a daily strategy for coping with it. These largely persuasive representations emphasize individual emotional management over structural or collective dimensions of fear.
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