Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets
The digital age, driven by advancements in data processing and internet technologies, has seen virtual social networks, particularly Instagram, become integral to daily life, influencing both leisure and professional activities. Instagram, with over two billion users in 2023, emphasizes visual story...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journalism and Media |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/89 |
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| author | Douglas Farias Cordeiro Mari Vállez Cristina I. Font-Julian Javier Guallar |
| author_facet | Douglas Farias Cordeiro Mari Vállez Cristina I. Font-Julian Javier Guallar |
| author_sort | Douglas Farias Cordeiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The digital age, driven by advancements in data processing and internet technologies, has seen virtual social networks, particularly Instagram, become integral to daily life, influencing both leisure and professional activities. Instagram, with over two billion users in 2023, emphasizes visual storytelling, making it a pivotal platform for media outlets to engage audiences through photos and videos. This study quantitatively analyses the Instagram engagement and content strategies of five prominent legacy news outlets from the United States and the United Kingdom—<i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Guardian</i>, <i>USA Today</i>, <i>The Independent</i>, and <i>The Washington Post</i>. Through an examination of over 9000 posts from January to December 2023, this research evaluates posting frequency, user engagement (likes and comments), hashtag usage, profile mentions, and geographic coverage. Findings indicate significant differences in posting strategies and engagement levels, highlighting <i>The Washington Post</i>’s intensive posting and <i>The Guardian</i>’s selective engagement strategy. This study emphasizes tailored strategies, thematic consistency, and careful use of mentions and hashtags as crucial for maximizing audience interaction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-108fdb22e3af487db8f08696f50ccf0c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5172 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journalism and Media |
| spelling | doaj-art-108fdb22e3af487db8f08696f50ccf0c2025-08-20T03:27:29ZengMDPI AGJournalism and Media2673-51722025-06-01628910.3390/journalmedia6020089Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News OutletsDouglas Farias Cordeiro0Mari Vállez1Cristina I. Font-Julian2Javier Guallar3Faculty of Information and Communication, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia 74690-900, GO, BrazilThe Centre of Research in Information, Communication and Culture (CRICC), Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media, The University of Barcelona, 08014 Barcelona, SpainThe iMetrics Lab, Department of Audiovisual Communication, Documentation and History of Art, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, SpainThe Centre of Research in Information, Communication and Culture (CRICC), Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media, The University of Barcelona, 08014 Barcelona, SpainThe digital age, driven by advancements in data processing and internet technologies, has seen virtual social networks, particularly Instagram, become integral to daily life, influencing both leisure and professional activities. Instagram, with over two billion users in 2023, emphasizes visual storytelling, making it a pivotal platform for media outlets to engage audiences through photos and videos. This study quantitatively analyses the Instagram engagement and content strategies of five prominent legacy news outlets from the United States and the United Kingdom—<i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Guardian</i>, <i>USA Today</i>, <i>The Independent</i>, and <i>The Washington Post</i>. Through an examination of over 9000 posts from January to December 2023, this research evaluates posting frequency, user engagement (likes and comments), hashtag usage, profile mentions, and geographic coverage. Findings indicate significant differences in posting strategies and engagement levels, highlighting <i>The Washington Post</i>’s intensive posting and <i>The Guardian</i>’s selective engagement strategy. This study emphasizes tailored strategies, thematic consistency, and careful use of mentions and hashtags as crucial for maximizing audience interaction.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/89media outletsengagement metricscontent analysissocial mediaInstagramaudience interaction |
| spellingShingle | Douglas Farias Cordeiro Mari Vállez Cristina I. Font-Julian Javier Guallar Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets Journalism and Media media outlets engagement metrics content analysis social media audience interaction |
| title | Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets |
| title_full | Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets |
| title_fullStr | Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets |
| title_short | Instagram Engagement and Content Strategies of US and UK Legacy Media: A Quantitative Analysis of Five Leading News Outlets |
| title_sort | instagram engagement and content strategies of us and uk legacy media a quantitative analysis of five leading news outlets |
| topic | media outlets engagement metrics content analysis social media audience interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/2/89 |
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