Reading Urban Digital Images on Social Media: the Case of Izmir City Centers
Synopsis
This chapter investigates how the digital image of the city is constructed and communicated through social media, focusing on Instagram representations of two contrasting urban centers in Izmir, Türkiye: the historical center of Konak and the emerging modern center of Bayraklı. Drawing on theories of urban image, sensemaking, and digital spatiality, the study reinterprets Manuel Castells’s conceptual framework of function, meaning, and form to examine the relationship between physical urban environments and their digital representations. Through qualitative content analysis of geotagged Instagram posts, six categories of digital urban imagery are identified: “stroke”, reflecting everyday practices and cultural activities; “adversity”, representing negative urban experiences; “antipode”, revealing spatial and social contrasts; “symbol”, referring to recognizable urban elements; “spine”, capturing recurring urban landscapes and silhouettes; and “niche”, highlighting places of individual self-representation. The findings reveal how digital images selectively reproduce, transform, and circulate urban meanings, emphasizing the interplay between spatial characteristics, collective perceptions, and individual experiences. The chapter contributes to discussions of digital urbanism by proposing a conceptual framework for understanding how social media participates in constructing contemporary urban images.
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