Proceedings of the International University Symposium on Humanities and Arts (INUSHARTS 2019)

Singaporean Identity Through Singaporean Eyes: A Cultural Study of the Instagram Account Humans of Singapore

Authors
Balqis Az Zahra, Harwintha Yuhria Anjarningsih
Corresponding Author
Harwintha Yuhria Anjarningsih
Available Online 30 July 2020.
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.200729.021How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Instagram, ethnic stereotype, Singaporean identity, representation, multiracialism
Abstract

Singapore has always been a hot spot for studies of multiracialism. Singapore’s multiculturalism is so significant to the city that multiculturalism is the bedrock of government rules and policies defining what it is to be a Singaporean. However, cultural studies of representations of multiracialism as an aspect of Singaporean identity in social media, especially Instagram, are relatively rare. This study examines representations of Singaporean identity through the lens of multiracialism from a cultural studies perspective. This research analyzes six posts taken from the Instagram account Humans of Singapore (HoS). Contextual analysis was used to explore different viewpoints expressed in the six posts based on two categories: how the people featured in HoS experience or think about defying or debunking ethnic stereotypes and how the people of Singapore today react to government policies concerning national identity while also exploring the sense of belonging in the Singaporean community. This paper shows that popular representations of Singaporeans today: (1) blend cultures and emphasize the sense of belonging shared across different ethnicities in Singapore to counter ethnic stereotypes, (2) resist or work around government policies by narrating a sense of belonging to Singapore as a nation and Singaporean identity.

Copyright
© 2020, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International University Symposium on Humanities and Arts (INUSHARTS 2019)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
30 July 2020
ISBN
10.2991/assehr.k.200729.021
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.200729.021How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2020, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Balqis Az Zahra
AU  - Harwintha Yuhria Anjarningsih
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/07/30
TI  - Singaporean Identity Through Singaporean Eyes: A Cultural Study of the Instagram Account Humans of Singapore
BT  - Proceedings of the International University Symposium on Humanities and Arts (INUSHARTS 2019)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 106
EP  - 111
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200729.021
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.200729.021
ID  - Zahra2020
ER  -