Presented at the Instagram Conference 2018. Middlesex University London, 1 June 2018. Still a work in progress...

1. Involved fatherhood
on Instagram
A"qualitative exploratory
analysis of Instadads’"visual"
narratives
Jussara"Rowland"and"Rita"Correia (Institute"of"Social"Science"– University"of"Lisbon)
Instagram)Conference)2018
Middlesex"University"London"
1"June"2018

2. New$forms fatherhood and gender systems
• Changes(with(traditional(hegemonic)masculinities))(Connell,(1995)(have(included(the(
representation(of(caring)as(a(role(not(innately(feminine.
• Traditional)forms)of)fatherhood)are(in(a(process(of(de3construction:)from(a(traditional(
breadwinner(model(of(an(absent(father(figure(to(an(involved(fatherhood(that(incorporates(
child/children3father)intimacy)and(active)participation)on)childrearing)tasks)(Lupton,(
1997).((((((
• Involved)fatherhood)is(a(new(construction(of(the(father(figure(that(includes(specific(
motivations,(skills,(traits(and(social(and(personal(expectations((La(Rossa,(1997).
• Fathering(identities(have(to(be(understood(in(the(context(of(these(changing(cultural(
images(of(fatherhood(and(the(tensions(that(arise(between(new)social)expectations)and)
actual)conducts)and)practices.

3. Fatherhood and social.media
• Mobile'media'individualization'and'changing'fatherhood'expectations'are'
transforming'men’s'social'accountings'and'and'their'online'presence.
• Until'recently'the'online'parenting'world'was'populated'mostly'by''
mothers,'but'in'recent'years'a'growing'collective'movement'of'fathers'
became'more'visible'in'platforms'like'blogs'and'social'media'(Ranson,'
2015).
• Men'are'not'only'accessing'the'internet'to'find'information'and'exchange'
experiences'about'paternity,'they'are'also'increasingly'presenting)
themselves)on/line)as)fathers.

4. Instadads
• An#Instadad is#a#man#that#presents'himself'as'a'father'on#Instagram.#
It#is#a#genre,#with#several#subgenres,#that#portrays#fatherhood#
through#the#sharing#of#family#images#and#stories.
• It’s#a#hybrid#practice#that#articulates#aspects#of#family'accounting'and
self3expression (Humphreys;#2018)#with#visibility'labour'(Abidin,#
2016).
• Instadads’#narratives#intersect#individual'stories,#social'contexts'and#
contemporary'narratives'of'fatherhood.
• They#offer#an#opportunity#to#understand#how#contemporary#cultures#
of#fatherhood#are#visually'enacted and#shared'online.

5. Instagram)narratives)and)child1rearing)activities
• Photos&of&men&child–rearing&activities&challenge&traditional&images&of&
fatherhood.&
• The&intentional&inclusion&of&these&images&by&Instadads in&their&visual&
narratives&has&a&performative/functional&value.
• What&concept&of&fatherhood&is&conveyed&in&the&visual&narratives&of&micro=celebrity&
Instadads?
• What&narratives&include&the&images&of&child=rearing&practices&by&men?&(and&which&
don’t)
• What&role&have&these&images&of&father&child=rearing&practices&in&the&context&of&
Instadads visual&narratives?

6. Methodology
• Vetrinizzazione Sociale (Codeluppi;+2007)+:+Instadads’+accounts as+a+window
display+of fatherhood.
• Identification+of+Instadads accounts+from+around+the+world+through+media+
articles,+relevant+hashtags+and+users+networks+(followers+and+followings)+>100
• Selection+of+accounts:+18
• Exploratory+analysis+of+the+images+in+their+recent+Instagram+feed:
• What’s+visible,+what’s+absent?
• Fathers+presence
• Family+representation
• Enactment+of+moments+of+childMrearing+activities

7. Accounts selection
• We#included:
• Accounts#written#in#English#(either#exclusively#or#bilingual)
• Accounts#where#the#user#presented#himself#as#father:#i.e.#the#handle#or#the#account#
name#included#a#variation#of#father/dad/daddy,#etc.
• Accounts#of#fathers#in#an#heterosexual#relationship
• Accounts#with#5000#followers#or#more
• We#excluded:
• Thematic#accounts:#Instadads’#accounts#that#intersect#with#other#themes#(fitness,#
disability,#entertainment#or#educational#projects,#etc.)
• Youtubers#and#other#social#media#fathers,#that#use#Instagram#only#to#disseminate#
other#kind#of#contents

8. Instadads’(visual(narratives

9. The$family$men
! Children’s,celebratory,moments,and,
milestones
! Family,portraits
! The,mother,is,often,depicted
! Photos,of,affection,between,the,couple,
without,the,kids
! Child!rearing,practices,tend,to,not,be,
part,of,the,narrative,
! Commodification,of,families,activities,
(locations,,experiences,,etc.)

10. Affective(fatherhood
! Children*milestones*and*daily*routines
! Stylized*portraits*of*the*children
! Photos*tend*to*focus*on*the*affective*
relationship*between*the*children*and*the*
father.
! Close*physical*contact*between*children*
and*father*
! Images*of*child!rearing*practices*tend*not*
to*be*part*of*the*narrative*
! The*mother*is*often*absent*from*the*
pictures*(enabler*! takes*pictures)
! Inferred*fatherhood*(the*focus*of*the*
image*is*on*the*child*and*the*affection*is*
expressed*through*the*care*of*the*child*or*
through*text)
! Commodification*of*the*children*
activities/products*(clothes,*toys,*
experiences)

11. The$engaged$father
! Enactment)of)the)fathers)child)rearing)
practices)
! Fathering)activities)are)“naturalized”)in)
daily)family)life
! Moments)of)care)are)important)in)the)
narrative)of)the)father)self!presentation)
as)a)competent,)engaged)father
! Child!rearing)activities)can)be)used)to)
convey)a)message)of)active)parenthood
! The)mother)are)often)absent)from)the)
pictures.)
! Commodification)of)child!rearing)
practices)(baby)products,)food,)etc.))and)
active)parenthood)(professionalization)

12. The$messiness$of$
parenthood
! Snapshots*of*“regular”*family*life*moments
! Selfies*as*a*style
! Children*are*often*depicted*in*moments*of*
chaos,*but*also*humorous*situations*and*
“spontaneous”*affective*moments
! Child!rearing*activities*as*part*of*the*challenges*
of*fatherhood
! The*mother*can*be*present,*but*the*focus*is*on*
the*enactment*of*daily*moments*of*fatherhood
! The*messiness*can*be*enacted*as:*something*that*
is*part*of*parenthood;*something*that*results*
from**a*performative*“lack*of*appetence*of*men”*
for*care*practices*
! Commodification*of*the*messiness*of*the*
parenthood*narrative*(books,*professionalization)

13. Conclusion:*
Involved*fatherhood*on*Instagram*(I)
• We#are#witnessing#the#increasing#individualization#and#
genderization of#family#social#accounting:#separated#visual#
narratives#from#the#father#and#mother#of#the#same#family
• Instadads use#social#accountings#of#family#lives#to#convey#a#
visual#narrative#of#fatherhood#as#an#involved#practice.#
• The#different#visual#narratives#however#illustrate#the#multiplicity#
of#strategies#men#use#to#present#and#negotiate#their#role#in#
public.

14. Conclusion:*
Involved*fatherhood*on*Instagram*(II)
• These%visual%narratives%are%not%always%mutually%exclusive,%but%they%all%
convey%a%more%intimate%portray%of%fatherhood:
• images%of%the%affective%relationship%between%the%father%and%children%gain%
more%prominence
• images%of%the%relationship%between%the%father%and%children%gain%more%
autonomy%in%the%family%context
• Commodification%practices%can%have%an%impact%in%the%choices%made%
regarding%the%images%shared,%but%they%have%to%be%understood%in%the%
context%of%the%narrative%conveyed%by%each%account.

15. Conclusion:*
Child-rearing*image*use*in*Instadads’*accounts
• Not$all$Instadad’s narratives$include$images$of$child6rearing$practices.$
• In$accounts$where$the$focus$is$on$the$family$relationships,$or$on$the$
affective$relationship$between$the$father$and$children$this$kind$of$images$
is$absent$or$has$less$relevance.
• In$the$narratives$where$theses$images$are$present$they$can$assume$
different$performative$functions:
• They$allow$men$to$include$the$dimension$of$care$in$the$portray$of$their$parental$
role,$strengthening$their$(self)$perception$as$an$involved$parent$
• They$participate$in$the$process$of$negotiation$of$private$and$public$gendered$shared$
parental$roles$in$the$context$of$their$family$practices$and$narratives.
• They$can$convey$explicit/implicit$parenting$equality$messages$reinforcing$the$father$
image$as$role6model.

16. Thank&You
Thank&you!
jussara.rowland@ics.ulisboa.pt
ritacorreia@ics.ulisboa.pt
Image:&Naomi&Dawson&(www.no@me.com)&for&Giles (YOU&THE&DADDY)&Instagram&account