Volume 35, Issue 1, 2026
DOI: 10.69980/03276716.2026.04
Instagram Animal Welfare Communication Among Young Adults: A Community of Practice Approach
Abstract
Instagram has become an important visual and participatory platform where young adults encounter, share and respond to animal welfare content. In India, young adults use Instagram to circulate adoption appeals, rescue updates, lost and found alerts, feeding support, treatment requests and success stories. However, limited research has examined how the platform supports animal welfare engagement, online community formation and youth participation. This study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design among Instagram users aged 18 to 34 years in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. A total of 422 valid responses were analysed. The questionnaire measured Instagram use, animal care background, content exposure, perceptions of Instagram, participation behaviour, Community of Practice, PALS positive attachment and perceived impact. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, multiple response analysis, Spearman correlation, Mann Whitney U tests, chi square tests and multiple regression. The findings showed that respondents were active users, with 76.3% using Instagram daily and 75.1% having used it for at least four years. Most followed animal welfare pages, and 78.0% saw related content at least sometimes. Respondents reported strong positive perceptions of Instagram, Community of Practice and PALS positive attachment, while participation remained moderate. Participation was significantly higher among users who were more frequently exposed to animal welfare content. The regression model explained 62.5% of participation variance, with exposure as the strongest predictor, followed by Community of Practice and PALS positive attachment. The study concludes that Instagram can support animal welfare engagement by increasing visibility, emotional connection, trust and community-based participation. Stronger participation depends on repeated exposure, transparent information, clear instructions and trusted updates from animal welfare pages.
Keywords
Instagram, animal welfare communication, digital participation, Community of Practice, pet attachment