Instagram and the mapping of local creative ecosystems

This article proposes an original method for the analysis of usage data collected on Instagram (images, hashtags and metadata) to map a creative territory based on the places visited and the representations shared by its users. It draws on the example of fashion in Lisbon as an emerging cultural and creative industry hub. The analysis of Instagram usage data shows that the places that are characteristic of a creative ecosystem are in the minority, seldom frequented, and virtually unconnected to one another by the members of the Lisbon fashion milieu. The places identified correspond more closely to the amenities constituting a specific local urban scene built around a network linking heritage sites such as historical buildings, urban landscapes, town squares and historical districts, as well as those places more directly associated with fashion retail such as boutiques, concept stores, art galleries and shopping centres. A hashtag analysis shedding light on representations and symbolic attraction of Lisbon as a fashion-creative hub further reveals the singularity of the city’s local scene.