THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE USE OF INSTAGRAM AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS

Social media provides opportunities for users to express their thoughts and feelings through writing, pictures and videos. The rich features of this platform make Instagram the most preferred platform for adolescents, including teenagers in Indonesia. Various activities can be done through Instagram such as building friendships, seeking information and entertainment. The phenomenon of communicating online especially on Instagram can be observed through self-penetration theory that observes the closeness of relationships through communication intensity. Informants' preference for using Instagram gives them opportunities to build more intense relationships to meet their needs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the character of Instagram users on the activities of adolescent girls. This research was conducted using qualitative methods with a phenomenological approach. Data collection is done by in-depth interviews, observations and scientific references. The informants of this study were teenage girls in Bandung City and Regency who used Instagram for at least one year. The results showed that the activities of female teenage informants on Instagram were searching, stalking and posting. The meaning of Instagram for female teenage informants is a medium of self-expression that is displayed through text, images, videos, to socialize, to get entertainment from information provided by Instagram, is also a medium for expressing feelings. The awareness of young female informants in their activities on Instagram social media is already well related to the social implications resulting from the production and dissemination of messages on Instagram. So the informant planned in advance his message so as not to cause negative consequences that have legal consequences.