Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The burgeoning of NGOs all over the world have led them to become more commercialised, placing much importance on public relations, communicating their corporate identity and organisational values. Social media is becoming more and more commonly used for this purpose. This study explores how an international NGO communicates its purpose through its photo posts on Instagram, the social media platform where the NGO receives more engagement from its followers. The study utilises quantitative and qualitative visual content analysis to analyse a calendar year’s (2018) worth of photo posts along with their captions. The analysis helps to identify the elements that the NGO uses in its photos and captions to convey its purpose, as well as the values it tries to communicate. The findings of this study provide insight into how international NGOs can better communicate their purpose and values with their publics through social media.