Instagram’s Affordances and the Visual Construction of Solidarity after a Mass Shooting

Abstract

Solidarity is a common response after a mass shooting. Social media and social media affordances, such as hashtags, are valuable technological tools after such events. How does social media facilitate the response to mass shootings? In particular, how do platform affordances shape solidarity practices? To this end, I analyzed Instagram images tagged #LafayetteStrong 2 years after a mass shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana. I observed several solidarity-inspired themes including material objects, community events and landmarks, references to support and reflection, and photographs as advertisements. I argue that Instagram affords a mediated form of solidarity, visually documenting ritualized community practices, while also facilitating individualized and subjective interpretations of solidarity. Users exploited Instagram’s affordances for advertisement purposes, capitalizing on a community-centered hashtag. These findings contribute to the sociological literature on mass shootings, the visual construction of solidarity, and the influence of technology.