Instagram Reels – The contemporary social media tool for dissemination of Kashmiri culture and language Learning

Abstract

Social Media, the third space that has acquired all the space belonging to humans today, has transcended the year-long boundaries creating the new public sphere altogether. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and then finally Instagram, produced an endless loop that no one could escape from reacting – the extremely engaging Instagram Reels. And with every video seen and shared on the social media app, Instagram reels became an important aspect to share diverse cultures all over the earth, making millions know the existence of each other without even having a common language to do so. And today, while videos and reels belonging to different languages and cultures are common to be commented on, reels in Kashmiri language are making their place well lit, making people know about the meaning of distinctively beautiful Kashmiri words otherwise unknown to them before, thus making non-indigenous people interested in Kashmiri culture and language learning. In this research paper, qualitative analysis of one such popular Kashmiri Instagram account namely ‘Historeel’ has been explored showcasing language learning through code-mixing, code-switching and viewer’s reaction to unique names of folklore characters and its symbolism in Kashmiri language and cultural dissemination between different ethnicities has been studied.