Evaluation of Instagram as one of the social media tools in terms of vocabulary

Social media is a mass communication tool that emerged with Web 2.0 technology and allows users to not only be buyers but also produce content. Instagram is the second most preferred social media tool by users. As it offers good options for photo and video editing, enables users to interact with each other easily, acts as a bridge by including the features of other social media tools, the fact that the average age of users is young, and its accessibility is facilitated by the widespread use of mobile phones, has made Instagram one of the most preferred social media tools by secondary school age group. This thesis aims to evaluate the posts of Instagram, being one of the social media tools, in terms of language aesthetics and vocabulary, based on the opinions of the students. The study is important at the point of evaluating the content of Instagram in terms of language aesthetics and vocabulary, and demonstrating the vocabulary by content, starting from the point that secondary school students use Instagram actively. In the study, which has a descriptive nature in the screening model, 84 Instagram content selected from 14 different categories with simple random sampling method were evaluated in terms of language aesthetics and vocabulary according to 21 criteria. Within the scope of 21 criteria determined as a result of the research, important examples demonstrating the vocabulary and language aesthetics have been reached. The figures of speech that demonstrate the richness of expression, the examples of reduplication, elements of meaning in sentence, phraseology and the ways of developing the thought are also determined together with the elements of language aesthetics. It is necessary to give more space to studies emphasizing the effects of social media culture in language use, and the relationship between language and expression skills by researchers Activities that can be used to gain language skills with social media should be planned. Turkish teachers should make studies to educate the equipped individuals by determining the the social media tools used by their target audiences and their interests.