This study emerges from growing attention to how remote work is increasingly portrayed and normalized through social media content, particularly short-form videos on Instagram. While remote work has often been discussed in terms of flexibility and improved work-life balance, its representation within digital culture may also reinforce expectations of constant productivity and self-optimazation. Focusing on Instagram Reels, this research examines how remote work is represented in relation to two contrasting narratives: the side hustle culture that emphasizes productivity and financial ambition, and the soft life ideal that promotes autonomy, ease, and work-life balance. Although social media platforms play a significant role in shaping public perceptions of contemporary work culture, scholarly attention to the visual and narrative construction of remote work on Instagram remains limited. Drawing on Stuart Hall's representation theory within media and communication studies, this study analyzes the portrayal of remote work in Instagram Reels produced by the content creator @loewhaley, widely recognized as a "virtual work besite." Employing qualitative content analysis, the research examines 22 reels published between December 2024 and May 2025 selected through simple random sampling from a population of 111 videos. The analysis focuses on three dimensions: visual and spatial representations of work setting, narrative framing of work, and emotional tone. The findings reveal that remote work is predominantly integrated into everyday life. Narratively, productivity-oriented routines and task management practices appear most frequently. Emotionally, many reels convey stress, fatigue, and isolation, suggesting tensions between the promise of freedom and the realities of intensified remote work.

Authors:
Kristiani Adventya Melani Ragat, University of Melbourne, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
Kristiani Adventya Melani Ragat is currently a Master's student in Global Media Communication at the University of Melbourne (LPDP Scholar), interested in digital media, gender inclusion, and platform studies.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiaragat/

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