Jeremy Pritchett

Joshua Smith

Writing 2

10, October 2019

The Perpetual Advancement of Social Media

I want you to relax, take a deep breath and clear your mind for the question I’m about to

ask you. What is something that you genuinely cannot live without? Chances are if you are older

than thirty you may have said ​a couple​ ​certain ​things like, “food, money, my car, my family, etc”

but for some of you younger folks, you may have thought about more ​materialistic​ ​personal

possessions such as your laptop, phone, or even your social media accounts. Today the world

looks a lot different than it did when my parents were growing up. Cell phones no longer have

antennas, tv’s are drastically lighter, and ​the​ internet ​use ​is​ smarter than its creators​ ​growing at

an exponential rate​. To say we live in a world dominated by technology ​is an​ ​would be a drastic

understatement. The advancement of technology has paved the way for social media, a

revolutionary platform to message, ​post​ ​share ​pictures, and meet people across the globe. ​One of

the most recognizable social media platforms found today is Instagram, a groundbreaking app

that allows people to interact online through the simple use of photographs and captions. Within

every Instagram you’ll find a bio that introduces the account.​ By analyzing ​Instagram bios​ ​bios

within Instagram ​we can differentiate genre conventions and the antecedents that helped create

the road we currently find ourselves traveling.

In 2010 Instagram was created and​ took the world by storm​ ​expanded across the globe​. In

just two years, ​Instagram​ ​the company reached unprecedented market level production ​and was
subsequently ​bought by Facebook for 1 billion dollars. Today the company is worth well over

100 billion dollars and has ​close to ​1 billion monthly users, close to a seventh of the world’s

population. People continue to use the app and downloads are projected to grow at an

exponential rate. So what is the secret behind the success of such a simple app? Within the

entirety of this work I will explain ​my​ ​the ​contemporary genre ​of Instagram and provide key

insight into the rhetorical situations that make Instagram one of the fastest growing companies in

the industry.

First it is important to define the terms that will appear quite often during the course of

this work.​ ​There are many important terms to define in order to understand the concept of

contemporary genres. A ​genre is a classification of groups that are categorized by similarities

and intended for a specific audience. In this ​scenario​ ​situation, ​my genre will refer to the bio​s

included in every Instagram profile. Each bio is structured in ​likeness​ ​similar ways ​but the

content it withholds depends entirely on ​each person​ ​the creator. ​Rhetorical situations are created

through the ​ideal​ use of diction, tone, and figure of speech while conveying a message. Rhetoric

may change based on the situation that arises, the intended audience, or even the tone ​you wish

to create​ ​the author deems necessary.​ Instagram bios are a quintessential example of situational

rhetoric. ​Some people may choose to create an informal tone if they know their Instagram will be

used for recreational purposes.​ ​Instagram was created with the intention of allowing its users to

create accounts for a wide variety of purposes. Within some profiles, people may choose to use

their account for recreational purposes. These accounts may include specific bios that utilize

slang, quotes, familiar colloquialism, or even a goofy picture. ​These specific bios may include

slang, quotes, familiar colloquialism, a goofy profile picture and anything else the creator may
deem important.​ These bios may even include emojis to create a fun theme. On the other hand,

some people create an Instagram for professional purposes. ​Within these accounts you will find a

more formal tone with appropriate terms and a slightly more sophisticated picture.​ ​These

accounts will create a formal tone and include appropriate terms with a more sophisticated

profile picture.​ These bios will also be less personal and directed towards audiences on a much

larger scale. ​The owner of the account may wish to include a link to the company website within

the bio. This addition helps establish credibility and create a sense of professionalism. ​The

simple yet effective choice of words you add helps create the theme and message that you will

convey within the entirety of your profile.

There are many genres that we encounter throughout our ​daily​ lives. Some are easy to

recognize such as those belonging to music, movies, or books. However as our society gradually

becomes more dependent on technology, there has been a surge of contemporary genres. These

are not as easy to define or recognize because of the vastness of technological output ​and

complexity of the digital world.​ Within the passage ​Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking) ​by Janet

Boyd she defines genre as “the traits or attributes considered normal to or typical of a particular

kind of creative piece, such as literature, film, music, make it that and not another.” Within social

media there are numerous genres. Some can be as small as an Instagram bio to as large as an

entire thread of tweets. The key indicator of a genre within social media is the unique qualities

that each one shares ​as well as the similarities in structure and format.​ Instagram bios vary from

person to person but each bio shares a general format of a name, profile picture, and caption. ​The

content within the bio depends entirely on the owner, but the format created by Instagram helps

create the general layout of a bio. ​These simple factors help to create the current genre we utilize
today.​ These simple factors help create the format needed to establish Instagram bios as a

contemporary genre.

Although Instagram is relatively new, the roots that it stemmed from travel back some

time.​ ​Although Instagram is a relatively new platform, the app has roots embedded within the

past.​ There is no doubt that Instagram completely revolutionized the way people meet and

interact. But what if I told you Instagram has been around for the past twenty years… or even the

past two-hundred years for that matter. ​Yes, the official app called Instagram has only been

around for about ten years but yearbooks have been around for much longer.​ ​The official

Instagram app has only been around for about ten years but the invention of yearbooks occurred

a long time ago. ​Obviously Instagram and yearbooks are not the same thing but the similarities

are strikingly uncanny. The first official yearbook was created by the 1806 graduating class at

Yale. The yearbook consisted of information about the school year, the students, staff, and

included ​many memorable activities. The students created this book with the intention that the

graduating class could forever carry with them the memories they created and reflect upon their

experiences within college. Instagram was created with this same purpose in mind. The original

founders sought to create a platform for users to post pictures so that they could forever cherish

their memorable experiences. Within every yearbook you will find a students class, name,

picture, and a quote or statement. This strongly resembles that of an Instagram profile.​ The

intended audience of a yearbook as well as an instagram bio are fairly similar. Both were created

to preserve and share memories with the people around you. This could be people you either

went to school with or simply people you met over social media. Regardless, each genre was
created with the sole purpose of sharing important information with the important people in your

life.

Another important antecedent to remember is the simple process of the word of mouth.

As society continues to rely on technology, simple conversation is gradually declining. Many

people these days create entirely different online personas. Sometimes we forget that profiles

also exist in real life and are known as personalities. An Instagram bio is formatted the same way

as the speech you use when you introduce yourself to someone. Upon meeting someone for the

first time, it is customary to state your name and maybe where you’re from or what you may do.

This is exactly the format of an Instagram bio! ​The way you introduce yourself may also depend

on the situation and who you are meeting. If you’re on a business trip, you may want to carry

yourself with professionalism and be slightly more assertive. However if you’re being introduced

to a classmate at school, you more than likely will be calm and casual. Bios work in the same

exact way. The format of your bio depends entirely on the intended audience.​ Bios have become

a platform for introduction without actually meeting someone in the real world. Instagram has

completely revolutionized the way people interact and has connected people from all walks of

life, but it is important to remember the antecedents that laid the groundwork for the app that we

all use today.

Instagram is without a doubt a contemporary platform. ​When discussing the emergence

of contemporary platforms, Instagram should definitely be included within the topic of

conversation. It has created a new form of genre that is contemporary and unique but still draws

familiarity from past precedence. ​It has created a new form of genre that is completely unfamiliar

to those that came before it.​ Instagram bios are revolutionary and help shape the social setting of
today’s world. They also provide insight into the gradual change of situational rhetoric from

verbal conversation to online interaction. ​These genres are much more subtle and continue to

grow exponentially.​ ​These genres are subtle and sometimes harder to find but they continue to

grow at record rates. Instagram bios differ greatly from past genres such as a yearbook because

of the flexibility it withholds. Although these bios are formatted in a similar structure, the

content published is entirely up to the user. Contemporary genres have established digital

freedom and have given its users the ability to be independent and unique.​ ​Instagram bios differ

from past genres because of the flexibility it withholds. Although these bios are structructured

similarly, the content decided is entirely up to the user.​ Genres have continued to change over

time and will ultimately continue to change with the advancement of technology. ​As our society

continues to advance it is important to remember the past and the present, for they ultimately

create the future.​ ​As our society continues to advance it is important to analyze genres of the past

and present, for they ultimately provide insight into the genres of tomorrow.
 Works Cited

Boyd, Janet ​Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking) ​Academic Writing