For This Assignment, You Will Read About Instagram Abroad

For This Assignment You Will Read Instagram Abroad Which Can Be Fo

For this assignment, you will read "Instagram Abroad," which can be found in Week 11 Readings. You are asked to analyze the types of images discussed in the article, understand how they rely on colonial imagery or attitudes, compare this with themes in Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place, examine the impact of tourism on local spaces, interpret a quote by Nedra Reynolds in relation to the readings, and pose a question for class discussion.

Paper For Above instruction

Tourism and visual representation are deeply intertwined with colonial histories and attitudes, often perpetuating stereotypes and unequal power dynamics. The article "Instagram Abroad" discusses four main types of images circulated by tourists and social media influencers, which reflect and reinforce colonial imagery and attitudes. These include: first, images of exotic landscapes or "untouched" nature, which suggest that colonized or formerly colonized spaces are pristine and timeless; second, photographs of local people often depicted as "exotic" or "entertaining," thereby objectifying them and reducing complex identities to stereotypes; third, images of colonial architecture, which romanticize colonial histories and suggest a nostalgic view of conquest; and finally, selfies or images with tourists in traditional attire or local settings, which commodify local cultures for personal branding. All these image types rely on colonial imagery by framing colonized spaces and peoples as picturesque, primitive, or spectacles, thus reinforcing a colonial attitude that sees these locales primarily as resources or spectacles for consumption.

Connecting these visual motifs in "Instagram Abroad" with Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place reveals a shared critique of superficial tourism and colonial attitudes. Kincaid describes how tourists often view her homeland through romanticized postcards, ignoring the lived realities of local people—an attitude that aligns with Smith’s analysis of colonial imagery. For example, Kincaid notes that tourists "accept the postcard images of beaches and resorts" without understanding the social and economic inequalities beneath the superficial beauty. Similarly, Smith discusses how tourists on Instagram post images that show an idealized version of a place, shielding themselves from acknowledging the underside—poverty, history, and local struggles. Both texts criticize how visual and textual representations serve to diminish the complexity of these places, reducing them to simplified images that serve colonial or imperial fantasies.

Regarding the impact of tourism on local areas, Smith emphasizes that tourists often elide the "material conditions" of the spaces they visit, ignoring the social, economic, and environmental realities. For example, tourists may photograph pristine beaches or charming towns without recognizing issues like environmental degradation caused by over-tourism or local economic disparities that sustain the tourist economy but marginalize residents. This neglect perpetuates a limited view of these spaces, contributing to their commodification and sometimes to the erosion of local cultures and environments. Tourists' attitudes—seeing the place as an exotic object rather than a living community—have real effects, such as environmental damage, cultural commodification, and social inequality.

Nedra Reynolds argues that our understanding of places should incorporate their material and physical characteristics, shaped by social practices, feelings, and habitual ways of engaging with space. This aligns with Smith's critique of tourists who approach destinations with a consumption mindset, overlooking the physical and social realities that make these spaces unique and meaningful beyond superficial appearances. Recognizing the "sedimented features of habitus" means understanding how patterns of behavior and cultural practices shape places over time—something that tourists often erase when they reduce settings to mere photo backdrops for personal gain. Both texts highlight that true engagement requires acknowledgment of the material and social realities that define and sustain these places, resisting superficial or colonial representations.

One question I hope to discuss in class is: How can tourists and social media users become more conscious of the material and social realities of the places they visit, rather than perpetuating colonial or superficial representations? Alternatively, I am interested in how visual culture on platforms like Instagram could be harnessed to foster deeper understanding and respect for local communities and environments, moving beyond stereotypical images and colonial attitudes.

References

• Kincaid, J. (1988). A Small Place. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Smith, A. (Year). "Instagram Abroad." [Source details].
• Reynolds, N. (2008). "Places, Boundaries, and Practices." In The Geography of Material Conditions. Routledge.
• Tsing, A. L. (2015). The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. Princeton University Press.
• Urry, J. (2002). The Tourist Gaze. Sage Publications.
• Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Sage.
• MacCannell, D. (1976). The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. University of California Press.
• Brennan, T. (2004). "The Colonial Gaze." Postcolonial Studies, 7(2), 211-222.
• Barker, C. (2012). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Sage.
• Haraway, D. (1988). "Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective." Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575-599.