Social Media & Photography: Comparing the Snapshot and Canva Aesthetics
Research administered by Kylie Breen
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This site contains original research regarding the overlap between social media & photography, and the comparison of how the snapshot aesthetic performs in comparison to the use of Canva templates by brands. The findings in this study are informed by scholarly literature and primary research facilitated via interview.
According to previous research, Instagram has developed greatly within the last decade through the implementation of new features and user experiences. Beginning as a photo-sharing tool in 2010, built on the idea of building community, the platform sought inspiration from past photography practices in an attempt to spread nostalgia (Zappavigna, 2016). Since the app’s launch, several shifts occurred within the last decade; once a sole provider for casual photo sharing among friends and family, Instagram now offers an array of advertising tools for brands who want to promote their business on the platform. Sponsored content appears in Instagram users’ feeds regardless of who they are following, and advertisements have infiltrated users’ daily scrolling.
Example of the Canva Aesthetic
Several themes are present in previous scholarly research on the overlap of social media and photography, including photography as a form of communication, the rise in accessibility to photography, community within social media and photography, brands’ usage of social media, and consumer perceptions of sponsored content. While past research emphasized the shifting culture within the social media realm, the current study expanded upon the relationship between social media and photography by investigating consumer brand affinity for the snapshot aesthetic, a casual type of photography, as well as the Canva aesthetic, a text and graphic-based design style. With the addition of new features on Instagram, more freedom to manipulate the user experience, and cultural shifts in using Instagram as a social media platform in the past few years, brand affinity on Instagram has become a complex area to measure.
Ten participants, aged 18-24, were interviewed in order to distinguish several trends across consumer opinion towards brands that utilize different aesthetics in their social media marketing.
Example of the Snapshot Aesthetic
Findings reveal that those who preferred the snapshot aesthetic stated that it was relatable and casual, and many participants noted that its “real-life” application of products caught their attention. Conversely, respondents who preferred the Canva aesthetic appreciated its informative nature, professionalism, and directness.
Side by side comparison of the Snapshot (left) and Canva (right) aesthetics
Although qualitative methods lack external and geological validity by nature, this methodology granted the interviewer the opportunity to obtain personalized responses from participants through the flexible nature of interviews. The results of this study contribute to a broader landscape of research on the connection between social media and photography, and demonstrate that imagery plays a key role in social media users’ brand affinity.
To learn more about the overlap of social media and photography, read this study’s literature review.
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