Snapshots of Family: Family Representations and Practices of Mothering Displayed by Instamothers

Abstract

The article explores family representations and practices of mothering displayed by popular Polish Instamothers. We investigate how ‘proper’ motherhood is constructed also with regard to strategies of depicting children and making social class manifest. Janet Finch’s concept of ‘displaying families’ is applied as both a theoretical framework and a set of methodological assumptions. Considering sharing family images on Instagram as a form of display, we assume that published photographs both shape and are shaped by dominant norms and discourses. Relying on content analysis and on semiological analysis, we investigate 100 photographs published by 10 popular Instamothers. The ethical challenges in visual social media research are also discussed. As a solution to the data anonymization problem, we propose the usage of graphics based on photographs. The results identify a tendency to idealize family life and to promote the traditional family model with its strongly normative character. Simultaneously, elements of the family modernizing discourse are also present. Although limited to Poland, our case study has broader significance for examining the dynamic socio-cultural changes that occur in postmodern societies.