Resumen

BLANCO-SANCHEZ, Tania  y  MORENO-ALBARRACIN, Belén. Instagram as a communication channel in the academic field. Comparison of the strategies of the best universities in the world. Revista de Comunicación [online]. 2023, vol.22, n.1, pp.35-51.  Epub 28-Mar-2023. ISSN 1684-0933.  http://dx.doi.org/10.26441/rc22.1-2023-3001.

Universities use social networks to transmit their institutional identities, applying them as mirrors and loudspeakers of campus life. Thus, they intend to attract potential students and build global communities that transcend the offline field. Much of the previous studies give greater relevance to the engagement achieved than to the discourse used, so this research explores the use of Instagram by the five best universities in the world according to the Shanghai 2022 Ranking, with the aim of comparing their strategies and contrast published content with recorded interactions. The methodology focuses on a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of the posts published by Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Cambridge and California Berkeley during the first quarter of the 2021/2022 academic year (n=394), for which a file of analysis has been designed.

The results reflect a certain homogeneity in terms of formats, with a predominant use of images; and to discursive intention, focused on extolling the human capital of the institution and its life stories. However, there are particularities derived from the values of each University and the idiosyncrasy of the territory in which they operate. Likewise, from the relationship between the semiotics of the message and the registered interactions, a main conclusion is drawn: there is a discrepancy between the most published and the content with the most participation. Thus, to achieve bidirectionality in their social community, institutions should design their strategies according to the impact achieved, which is greater when CSR actions are disseminated, and video is chosen.

Palabras clave : universities; social network; digital communication; branding; brand community; formats; discursive intention; engagement.

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