Week 8 – Networked Video
Shiba Charmy – massage, 2020
Who is the practitioner and when were they practicing?
The practitioners I have chosen to analyse are the users behind the Instagram account @shiba_charmy, a vlogging account run by the family who owns the eponymous Shiba Inu dog. Charmy has been on Instagram since 2015 and became an internet sensation for viral images comparing her to a croissant, bringing her to internet fame rivalling other famous animals, with 375k followers on Instagram, more than @kabosumama (the famous Doge) and @balltze (another meme dog, Cheems) combined. The videos and photos are light-hearted and cute, and clearly bring in money, with ads for LINE stamps (stickers for a Japanese messenger app) and even TV and film appearances adorning the saved stories tab.
What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse?
The video I have chosen to analyse has no title, but is captioned “massage mofumofu~ fuwafuwa~”.
With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced?
The video was produced in 2020 and was uploaded to Instagram on April 25.
How was the photo or video authored?
This video was likely shot on a Sony Xperia phone, as the account owners have a deal with Sony. The video is short and features one of the owners massaging Charmy’s cheeks while she smiles photogenically at the camera, creating a very cute and light-hearted tone to the video. The shot is entirely done in pastel colours to complement Charmy’s natural fur patterning, as well as to keep in line with the style set by other content on the account. A bright and gentle appearance also helps to make the videos look high quality and professional, helping them to stand out in a cluttered discover tab. Very bright exposure is also used accompanying the colour scheme, not only contributing to the style but also helping to mask any imperfections in Charmy’s fur, making a clean and marketable final product.
How was the photo or video published?
The photo was published to Instagram on April 25, 2020, along with a “new post” story, a disappearing video advertising that a new post has been added to the account. The video was also released alongside another post, a set of four photos, increasing visibility and providing extra incentive for users to spend more time on the @shiba_charmy Instagram account.
How was the photo or video distributed?
As with any other Instagram post, this content from @shiba_charmy is pushed directly to the feed of all 375k followers, and is accessible either by directly searching for the account or through the algorithm on the Discover tab. However, this post also makes use of hashtags, a system for categorising posts based on their content, with this post using both Japanese and English tags for #shiba, #shibainu, #dog, #doglover, #pecoinubu (?), #adorable, and #massage. This allows for greater visibility in the algorithm, as if users interact with these hashtags elsewhere they will be more likely to be recommended @shiba_charmy’s content, as well as providing a more general way of finding the image by searching for associated Shiba Inu content.