One Must Focus the Lense: Finding Trends

This week I have discovered and will be examining three more post on Instagram by users that have used the hash tag Dalai Lama. These three users also, like the previous six users’ post that I have analyzed, vary in the way they use this social media platform to convey their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences surrounding the teaching of the leader of the Buddhist faith, the Dalai Lama. These users represent different ways to live out religion by using the teaching of the Dalai Lama. These users follow a trend of using Instagram not only to post quotes and written interpretations of religious texts and teachings, but also to share visual expressions of religious beliefs and practices by use of personal images.  All of these individuals take advantage of this virtual medium on which they profess their beliefs and display how their religion ties into their everyday lives. Most users in this week’s and the previous weeks’ examples used commentary of a religious leader to help better their personal lives.  The principal message is that one cannot profit from religion by only reading or hearing religious knowledge; but that a person must also apply the acquired religious knowledge to their life. These posts also serve as a teaching medium and inspiration source for others that happen to view their pages.

Example #1

Time: 10/8/2013

User Name: pretty_outcasts

Picture: This picture consists a bracelet on a black surface. The bracelet looks to be made out of yellow wooden beads and yellow string.

Caption: "Never give up No matter what is going on Never give up Develop the heart Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart Develop the heart Be compassionate Not just to your friends but to everyone Work for peace and I say again Never give up No matter what is happening No matter what is going on around you Never give up" -His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama My mom sat in on some talks by the Dalai Lama today and brought me back some hand made Tibetan monk prayer beads. I couldn't love them more. #dalailama #dalai #lama #prayerbeads #prayer#tibetan #monks #monk #tibetanmonks #buddah #Buddhism

Comments: NONE

Likes:5

Link: http://instagram.com/p/fOqTd1qEJf/

The user pretty_outcasts’ post focuses on a bracelet that is used in the religious practice of prayer. She relates these beads back to the Dalai Lama by including a quote by this religious leader in the caption of her post and acknowledges that her mother received these beads of prayer at an event at which the Dalai Lama spoke. This photo and the information gained from the caption suggest that the user lives out her religious beliefs by practicing prayer rituals of this religion.

Example #2

 Time: 10/8/2013

User Name: semperfigirlfriend20

Picture: This consists a girl sitting in a white and purple hammock holding an open book. The girl is making what she calls a blowfish face and seems to be wearing a blanket. She seems to be reading what is a copy of “My Spiritual Journey” by the Dalai Lama.

Caption: #BlowfishFace #Reading #I'veAlwaysSecretlyLovedReading#ReadingIsMyGetAway #MySpritualJourney #TheDalaiLama#DalaiLama #Buddhism

 Comments: None

Likes: 29

Link: http://instagram.com/p/fOnWBkPcmA/

The user semperfigirlfriend20 is displays religious focused text in her Instagram post. The book featured in her photo is written by the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism who is the Dalai Lama. This photo suggests that the user is taking a break from living out her religious beliefs by the practice of reading and learning through secondary religious texts Other users on this social media platform, like gabyduque9 from a previous blog, also post pictures of books or themselves reading books that have been written by or about the life and teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama.

Example #3

Time: 10/8/2013

User Name: blastscott     

Picture: This picture consists two abstract painting of the face of the Dalai Lama from the nose upward. The background of one painting is blue with the Dalai Lama’s face in pink and the other painting’s background is pink with the Dalai Lama’s face in blue. These paintings are both resting upwards on top of newspaper on a table. In the background of this photo there seems to be another unrelated piece of artwork on the wall.

Caption: Lama for Miles & Lama for Lena #art #painting #dalailama #buddhism 

Comments: none

Likes: 9

Links: http://instagram.com/p/fNu3oNtSFf/

blastscott is using this post on their social media page to display their artwork and to advertise a product that will allow others to display their religious thoughts. This is the second user I have seen to use this social media platform and the hash tag Dalai Lama in this manner, pathoutfitters t-shirt picture, which is featured on a previous post, was the first. The paintings give idolization to the religious leader and show his followers that they can display their faith not only through actions but also through religious artwork.

Each of these users chose different but similar ways to display their narrative of and to live out religion by using the teaching of the Dalai Lama. The nine examples selected and featured on this blog over the past four weeks and the performance of religion by these Instagram users have been examined. After analyzing similarities and contrasting them with the idiosyncrasies in these posts, they all seem to follow a trend. The trend of these examples studied are that the users share the central aim of displaying to others how they are personally, and how other can, live out their religious beliefs through practices. By reading and learning more form the religious teachings of the Dalai Lama, displaying their belief and to encourage others to openly display theirs also, and capturing moments living out their religion by following a teaching of a religious leader. The common message from these users continues to be to learn the teachings of the religious leader of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama and to apply these learning’s to one’s life. While performing religion in a various amount of ways, all the users seem to believe that religion should be shown through some sort of action.

#Trends:What's Happening Here?

Many Instagram users vary in the way they use this social media platform to convey their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences, and other users tend to be more alike. This trend is also the same for Instagram users whom are inspired by and practice the teaching of the leader of the Buddhist faith, the Dalai Lama.

When sampling posts hash tagged with the words “Dalai Lama” it was found that each user choose different but similar ways to display their narrative of and to live out religion by using the teaching of the Dalai Lama. While analyzing the 6 examples selected and featured on this blog over the past two weeks, the performance of religion by these Instagram users will be examined. Similarities will be considered while contrasting them with the idiosyncrasies in these posts.

The posts first are similar in the way religious quotes, or teachings of the Dalai Lama are used. All but one of the Instagram user posts being examined have used a quote or summarized a teaching of the Dalai Lama to add narration to their photos or as the actual picture it self. The users tomorrowsmoment and weallshineon_ both post pictures of quotes by the Dalai Lama while laymoune02, breathinginyoga, and gabyduque9 use saying of the Buddhist religious leader in their captions to add description to their photos. The only user not to include a teaching of the Dalai Lama is pathoutfitters. Neither their photograph nor their caption features a trace of a religious phrase.

            While all but one of the posts include religious sayings to narrate their photo, only 4 out of the 6 posts depict how the users live out religious in their lives. The users laymoune02, breathinginyoga, gabyduque9, and pathoutfitters all display how they live out religion on this social media site and give meaning to their pictures by including a caption, but the performances of religion vary.

Two of the users are depicted practicing religious acts.laymoune02’s picture and captions present performed religion by showing the user practicing the religious teaching of traveling to a new place once a year. breathinginyoga photo captures her in a yoga pose which when paired with her caption presents the idea that she is practicing the religious act of meditation.

Another user performs religion by means of texts.gabyduque09 photo alludes to the act of relaxation with her tea and hookah while further exploring the teaching of the Dalai Lama through secondary religious texts.

While these three users all show how they each individually live out religion, the last user’s post does not. pathoutfitters displays in their photo and quote how others can live out their religious views thought their wardrobe, with Dalai Lama tee shirts.

Over all, the common message throughout these posts is to learn the teaching of the religious leader of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama and to apply these learning’s to one’s life. All of the users perform religion in different ways but they all believe that religion should be shown through some type of action whether it be by following a quote of the day to guide one’s daily actions, performing religious acts such as meditating, or displaying how other believers can display their beliefs openly.

Due to these examples I will be answering the research question:

How do the users of the posts on Instagram containing a hash tag of Dalai Lama perform religion by acting out the teaching of the Dalai Lama in their lives through religious acts, studying religious texts, and promoting the practice of lived out religion to others?