Instagram Use among Czech Young Generation during COVID-19 Lockdown Period with Restricted Travel and Services

Abstract

The paper focuses on the social network Instagram and its use by Czech university students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns with restricted travel and services in comparison to typical Instagram activity in the pre-pandemic period. As Instagram specializes in visuals, it is perceived as an attractive online tool for promoting a wide range of products and services, including hospitality services and tourism destinations. The research aimed to determine which aspects of the use of this social network were affected by the pandemic lockdown period in 2020 among the young generation of active Instagram users. The analysis of data collected from a survey of 1138 respondents, for example, showed that students often started to follow new topics - especially in the areas of politics, health, personal development, sports, or hospitality services - in the context of the pandemic and its associated restrictions. At the same time, they started to spend more time on Instagram daily, typically 1-3 hours longer than they did in the pre-pandemic period. The analysis findings suggest that this social network should be seen as an increasingly important tool for effective online communication with the younger generation with tertiary education.