#RingA10 Hashtag Analysis

In the extensive research on identity of the highway Ring A10 in Amsterdam, I decided to investigate the sense of identity presented online. This was done by analysing the representation of the specific neighbourhoods and the Ring itself on the pictures posted on photo-sharing websites such as Instagram and Flickr.

Nowadays, virtual identity of a place has a powerful impact on its image in real world, co-creating the way how people perceive it, building its reputation and general cognition. I investigated the use of hashtags “Buiten de ring” (transl. “outside the ring”) “Binnendering”(transl. “Inside the ring”) and “RingA10” analysing the amount, the character of the pictures and the identity depicted by the images posted on Instagram

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#BuitenDeRing

There were 160 posts found on Instagram, that used the hashtag #Buitendering. Such high number implies, that there is a strong feeling of identity with the place. The pictures mostly show green areas, people having fun and picturesque landscapes. From the amount of posts and the character of the pictures, we can conclude, that there is a certain need to present or manifest the outside as an important zone of Amsterdam.

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#RingA10

When it comes to the hashtag #RingA10, there have been 96 posts shared on Instagram. An interesting discovery is that even though there is also a Ring A10 in Berlin, all the pictures tagged with the hashtag RingA10 showed Amsterdam Ringroad. That explains the potential of the Ring becoming a place to be. The pictures depict beautiful landscapes, sunsets and people having fun while driving. This contributes to creating a positive image of the Ringroad.

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#BinnenDeRing

The hashtag #Binnendering has been used only 24 times and depicted a variety of different elements with no specific character. This might imply that people do not feel the need in manifesting the fact that the picture has been taken inside the Ring. It might be related to the fact, that for many people, Amsterdam is what happens inside the Ring. Therefore they simply use hashtag: #Amsterdam.