Picture-perfect Insta-nations: curated and generic representations of the nation on Instagram

Insta-nations refers to the adaptation and manifestation of visual representations of nations to the digital cultures and algorithmic visibilities of Instagram. A qualitative multimodal content analysis of 300 posts uncovers strikingly similar representations of the nation across three country-specific hashtags: the Netherlands, Norway, and Romania. The findings reveal the predominance of romanticized depictions of nature, allusions to history and tradition, and beautified portrayals of urban spaces. Captions and hashtags invest them with national pride and significance. The frequent use of bilingualism introduces a cosmopolitan orientation, inviting local and international audiences to engage emotionally with an idealized version of the nation. These representations simplify and sanitize the idea of the nation, adapting traditional nationalist imagery to modern, platform-driven cultural production. While presenting themselves to viewers as an organic user activity, Insta-nations subtly reinforce nationalist ideologies in ways that are harder to recognize in digital spaces. Ultimately, Insta-nations illustrate how ideological reproduction is reshaped and circulated through contemporary digital and visual cultures.