Globalizing Indigenous Literature: A Thematic Analysis of Pakistani Instagram Poetry

Instagram poetry makes for a new and interesting genre, or rather a new sub-genre in literature according to Oliveira & Fazano (2020). In the radically transformed world of social media, poetic expression has also morphed into an emergent form. Instagram poetry democratizes the process of voice and allows poets to publish their poetry, and reach a greater audience with more of an impact. Pakistani poets are not far behind in incorporating this new form of poetry into their traditional modes of expression. Numerous young poets transpire on Instagram, incorporating their words into images to post on their feeds or in their stories. It becomes imperative to notice and hear these varied voices as well as examine and analyze their message. Bringing their poetry to the mainstream with the help of a thematic analysis, this study incorporates the Sociological Criticism theory to explore the prevalent themes. This study attempts to give Pakistani Instagram poets and their subjects the deserved exposure. Applying Belsey’s method of close reading Pakistani Instagram Poetry reveals some major themes across poems and a few minor themes that appear less often. One of the major and prominent themes, as revealed from the study, is the theme of ‘self-compassion’ with several minor themes under this larger ambit. A greater focus on self is possibly the new trend in the subgenre of Pakistani Instagram poetry but further comparative studies with Instagram poets of other nationalities need to be conducted to find out the most common themes in Instagram poetry worldwide.