Presentation Schedule
Bodies as a Meaning-Making Tool on Social Media: A Multimodal Analysis of Body Image Representation on Instagram (95789)
Session Chair: Terry van Gevelt
Friday, 7 November 2025 11:20
Session: Session 2
Room: Room A (4F)
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
This study aims to explore how bodies construct meaning on social media within Arab countries. While prior studies have explored body image representation on social media, especially in Western contexts, few have critically examined it in the Arab countries. Through a visual social semiotic analysis, the study looks at how the body helps create meaning, using Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and Goffman's idea of self-representation. A mixed-methods approach examined representational, interactive, compositional modes and denotational and connotational meanings. We operationalized body image representation as the visual and textual portrayal of body-related content.
A multi-step process guided the sample selection. Accounts were categorized as personal, influencers, and celebrities. Only accounts with publicly viewable content were considered. The most recent photo showing the account owner was chosen. Two hundred seventy-four images published in 2022 and 2023 were examined from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, KSA, Lebanon, Syria, and UAE. The analysis relied on the judgments of multiple coders. To ensure coding reliability, each image was analyzed by two coders.
Findings revealed that social media photos are tools for constructing and promoting an idealistic self-image, highlighting a complex interaction between body representation, online identity construction, and socio-cultural dynamics. Individuals strategically use their bodies to construct and communicate a desired identity with a tendency for pragmatic instrumental employment. This involves crafting a virtual persona. Research limitations include limited cross-social media analysis, algorithms, and cultural geographic scope. However, ethical concerns regarding privacy and consent were addressed by limiting the analysis to publicly available accounts.
Authors:
Hossam Elhamy, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Andrea Mayr, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hossam Elhamy is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Zayed University in United Arab Emirates
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