University of Twente Student Theses
Insta-Diversity: How Dutch universities communicate their diversity and inclusion on their Instagram accounts?
Ghozat, Faraz (2023) Insta-Diversity: How Dutch universities communicate their diversity and inclusion on their Instagram accounts?
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| Abstract: | Purpose In the modern academic landscape, universities are under increasing pressure to prioritize diversity and inclusion (D&I) due to a rising demand from both employees and students. To address this, the Netherlands ministry of education introduced a national action plan in 2020. To effectively respond to this demand, universities are urged to use their official websites and social media platforms, particularly Instagram, as tools for communicating their D&I initiatives. However, there is limited exploration of how social media affects the perceptions of D&I efforts among students and staff, making it a key focus of this study that examines Dutch universities' communication strategies and their impact on audience engagement. Method The study employed quantitative content analysis, where 557 Instagram posts from 8 Dutch universities' official pages were analyzed. The content was selected non-randomly, focusing on two distinct time frames related to the release of the national action plan for diversity and inclusion, and the analysis included various post formats such as single pictures, videos, and carousels, assessing the presence or absence of visual, textual, and auditory cues related to diversity and inclusion (D&I). Results It was observed that explicit strategies positively influenced the number of likes from the audience but had no discernible impact on the number of comments. Furthermore, specific D&I themes including gender, race and ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, disability, and diversity in general did not significantly affect audience engagement in general. Additionally, the findings demonstrate a 6% increase in the utilization of implicit communication strategies and a 4% increase in explicit strategies following the implementation of the action plan. Conclusion In order to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I) on Instagram, Dutch institutions have adopted a variety of communication strategies. Notably, explicit techniques had a beneficial effect on audience "likes" but no discernable effect on "comments. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) themes including gender, race and ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, disability, and diversity in general had little effect on audience participation. This highlights the fluidity of D&I promotion through social media and the continual requirement for flexibility in establishing inclusive academic settings. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 02 science and culture in general, 05 communication studies, 70 social sciences in general, 88 social and public administration |
| Programme: | Communication Studies MSc (60713) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/97518 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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