The thin line between information and misinformation on Instagram: reflecting on hyperreality
Summary
This thesis draws on the theory formulated by Jean Baudrillard to explore the meaning
generated on Instagram independent fact-checkers in public comment sections. To
understand users’ responses, this research undertook a thematic analysis of 100
comments on Instagram posts claimed false by third-party fact-checkers. The analysis
focuses on users’ comments under two different categories of content: serious
(political propaganda) and fun (entertainment/memes) informative posts. Through
Baudrillard’s lens of the hyperreal, Instagram appears as a successful medium for
misinformation, since every content on the platform can be seen as simulation, hence
unverifiable truth. The findings of this study highlight the importance of context when
interpreting information shared on social media. Fact-checkers fighting
misinformation on Instagram merge with the medium as any other content and
become part of the hyperreal. Therefore, I argue that Instagram can be a sound
example that reflects the hyperreal characteristic of present-day Western capitalistic
societies.