One thing that stood out as soon as I started following the farms' accounts and scrolling through their feed is that posting frequency had increased dramatically for ALL the accounts since the start of the lockdown. Accounts that posted once a month or less frequently were now posting AT LEAST daily and often even more. Every day posts were added to stories.
There was an ecouragement for a certain kind of lifestyle (one that valued community/local, respect for wildlife/nature, that took responsibility for welfare of earth and self, that was DYI). I go into further detail and provide examples under the “Content” section.
There was a sense of community. When watching Instagram Live videos for Stepney Farm I noticed that the same users would "show up" to watch and ask questions. These videos, especially Grower’s corner, were very immersive because they were filmed from a point-of-view that very much simulated walking alongside someone at the farm, because the person filming was having a conversation with the person presenting, and because they were engaging with the comment section as it happened. These live videos, that got up-close to herbs, animals, that showed farmers feeding, petting the animals did a fantastic job of emulating some of the aspects of farms that came up the most from visitor’s reviews: the ability to interact with animals and to have a chance to be amongst nature.
Another theme that was consistent amongst the farms' instagrams was the appeal for funding. Many posts and stories/reposted stories contained the link to the websites for funding these farms. These farms were making instagram posts that were educational, in the way one could learn from volunteers and farms in-person. They provided programing to help people cook, to keep children engaged. They post animal content that entertains like an actual visit to the farm would. They promote opportunities to buy local product. During this lockdown time, when funding is at its most perilous, the farms' instagram presence serves to remind of all the services and benefits they provide. By the time I had finished my observations, several of the farms had reaching, or surpassed, their funding goals.
I would like to note that the positive impact of social media for farm engagement is not new. Through interviews with social media managers at Vauxhall and Kentish Town I learned that social media has led to the increase of visitors and programs offered at these farms. More on this can be found under the "Interviews" section of the site.