Digital Dialectics: Marxist Theory and Instagram Contents in the Literary Theory Classroom

Digital Dialectics: Marxist Theory and Instagram Contents in the Literary Theory Classroom

Nurul Atiqah Amran^*, Pavani Malaa Meganathan, Fatin Nabila Abd Razak

Department of English, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, University Putra Malaysia

^*Corresponding author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90600086

Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 27 May 2025; Published: 01 July 2025

ABSTRACT

This research examines the relationship between literature, social media, and everyday realities, challenging students’ perceptions that literature is distant and disconnected from their lives. Incorporating social media into the literary theory classroom is an interactive way of encouraging students to engage with current issues through theory and literary texts. As part of the 14-week course, students were introduced to various literary theories, including Marxism, which focuses on class struggle, economic disparities, and social inequities. Through classroom discussions, students were provided with selected literary texts, and they explored connections between literary concepts and societal issues in Malaysia. The mini-project, which is discussed in this paper, served as the culmination of their understanding, aligning with the course’s second learning objective. The central component of the project required students to use Instagram to post an image and write a short caption related to the key aspects of Marxist theory, reflecting their understanding through their own lenses. By engaging in literary discussions with their own social media account, students learned to leverage digital platforms to raise awareness and promote sensitivity towards issues of class inequality. This paper probes into selected Instagram posts and captions that students have posted and composed on their personal Instagram accounts to divulge their concerns with social class issues surrounding them.

Keywords: Marxism, Instagram, Literature classroom, TESL, Urbanity

INTRODUCTION

Second-year Bachelor of Education students majoring in Teaching English as A Second Language (TESL) at the Department of Language and Humanities Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, are required to take a compulsory course titled “Critical Literary Analysis in Language Teaching.” This course introduces literary theories from multiple perspectives, including literature and the text, literature and psychology, literature and readers, literature and socioeconomic factors, and literature and cultural studies. Spanning over fourteen weeks, the course includes weekly lectures and tutorials. Assessments include a quiz, five mini-projects, which are done individually, and a final project, which requires students to work in groups of six. They are also required to sit for a final examination at the end of the semester. The syllabus covers a diverse selection of literary texts from both local and international sources. Students enhance their writing, speaking, and collaborative skills in preparation for graduation through individual and group activities, such as essay writing, role-plays, and debates.

The mini-projects serve as a reflective exercise for students and as a self-evaluation of performance and progress for the lecturer to improve teaching and learning experiences. Through each mini-project, students actively engaged with key aspects of the literary theories and critically examined their relevance to real-world interactions and experiences. Over the semester, the students completed five mini-projects, each tailored to specific topics and integrating digital and innovative approaches to enhance their critical thinking skills. These projects include writing a love letter to identify students’ existing or early perceptions of literature, using WhatsApp voice notes to share their stylistic analysis of favourite songs, analysing a psychological case study in literature through role-play, sharing their opinions on gender issues via platform X, and finally using Instagram (hereafter IG) to depict class struggle through images and impactful captions. Collectively, these activities aimed to fulfil the second learning objective, in which the students can evaluate key elements in selected literary texts. During tutorial sessions, students engaged in reading and discussing various literary texts. They were given one to two weeks to individually complete this mini project and submit their work via PutraBLAST (Putra Blended Learning Assistive System and Technology). This e-learning platform allows students to learn anytime and anywhere at their own pace, and most importantly, engages them in multimedia resources and interactive tools for learning and completing their assessments.

This study examines one mini project, which utilises IG to represent class struggle through imagery, designed as a formative assessment to evaluate students’ understanding of the relationship between literature and socioeconomic issues. They were tasked with capturing an image from their daily lives and writing a caption connected to the theme of class struggle. This exercise encourages students to critically observe and analyse real-world depictions of class struggle and express their understanding through a visually creative and reflective social media platform. To maintain privacy, students were allowed to participate in the activity without exposing their personal accounts by concealing their profile picture and name on IG during submission. They then captured a screenshot of their post and submitted it via PutraBLAST. Some of the visual quality presented in this study is notably compromised, as the students did not submit the original images or raw footage from their IG posts.

Before this activity, students were given selected literary texts, London (1974), a poem by William Blake, and a short story titled The Lesson (1972) by Tony Cade Bambara to read and discuss in class. From the critical reading session, students reflected on their awareness of the social class struggle they had encountered through reading, media, or personal experiences. Based on their responses, many of them were aware of several important issues that they can relate to Marxist theory and literary texts, such as the rising cost of living that affects lower-income groups, the unequal access to quality education, especially in rural areas, and the minimum wage policies that often fail to keep up with inflation, leaving many workers struggling to meet basic needs. However, using their personal social media accounts to highlight these issues and raise awareness was a new experience for them. As one student remarked, “This activity helped us see things in ways we might not have considered before, making it a truly eye-opening experience.” Selected Instagram posts and captions are reviewed and evaluated in this paper. By examining the images and captions posted on their IG, the study reveals the students’ concerns with social class issues surrounding them. To fulfil the purpose of this study, the following research questions are raised:

• How do students visually represent their understanding of social class through imagery, symbolism, and composition in their Instagram posts?
• What key terms or concepts do students use or address in their Instagram captions to articulate connections between social class issues and the current everyday contexts of their surroundings?

The first research question aims to examine and categorise the images and recurring patterns in students’ visual choices. In contrast, the second research question adopts a literary and theoretical lens, prompting an analysis of language use and its alignment with Marxist literary criticism.

The Use of Instagram (IG) in Literature Classroom

Social media essentially refers to a group of online tools and platforms designed to facilitate discussions, engagements, and the seamless sharing of various types of content such as text, video, audio, and images. IG offers visual and interactive features suitable for the current generation’s preferences and learning style, as it is a platform for them to share their daily life moments, and it serves as a versatile communication tool that integrates images, videos, and texts (Nasution, 2023, p.33). Educators need to be more creative and proactive, not just teaching and delivering the intended knowledge, but also providing an exciting learning experience, especially in learning foreign languages such as English. Nasution’s study examines the integration of IG into English learning and finds that IG is an effective tool for English classes, enhancing vocabulary, communication, and writing, and allowing students to practice grammatical accuracy. Students gave positive feedback, particularly in the aspect of improving their writing skills and engagement. IG also supports multimodal learning through image-based assignments, videos, and interactive challenges that foster creativity and motivation. Apart from that, the research indicates that IG facilitates collaboration, strengthens connections between classroom learning and real-world literacy practices, and enhances distance learning experiences. Overall, its integration into English teaching offers an innovative and engaging approach to language acquisition (pp. 47-48).

Similarly, Thomas’s study (2020) finds that IG can be a supplementary tool in communicative language courses to bridge conventional learning activities using textbooks with reading and writing practices. Though the research indicates that there is no major improvement in the students’ vocabulary memorisation and grammatical and lexical accuracy, integrating IG into the learning process fosters collaborative and interactive writing among the students. Other studies have also promoted the use of IG as an effective additional classroom tool and provided a variety of activities to be incorporated that could facilitate language learning (Suryantari & Priyana, 2018; Soviyah & Etikaningsih, 2018).

Other studies have also explored the use of IG in English literature and language classrooms, demonstrating its potential to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. IG has been proven to improve students’ self-confidence in speaking skills (Utomo & Bastiar, 2020) and increase motivation in language learning (Kun et al., 2019). In teaching literary texts, students using this social media platform outperformed those using traditional methods in both literary knowledge and teaching activity presentations (Cakmak, 2023). The researcher further suggests that integrating IG into literature courses can be redesigned to foster more inclusive and interactive learning experiences. Apart from that, the study also highlights the students’ improved ability to translate literary knowledge into practical teaching methods. This notable enhancement, Cakmak claims, is largely due to IG’s natural appeal, which offers a dynamic, creative, and immersive multimedia experience (pp. 273-274). The platform’s versatility allows for diverse applications, including practising descriptive writing, providing peer feedback, and promoting learner autonomy (Rizal & Farikhah, 2021). The consolidation of social media platforms like IG into the classroom shifts the focus from teacher-centred to student-centred learning, facilitating meaningful communication and networking among peers (Kun et al., 2019). These findings suggest that incorporating IG into English literature and language curricula can lead to more inclusive, interactive, and effective learning experiences for students.

Research has proven that the widespread popularity of social media has enabled its integration into education, especially in teaching English literature and literary theory (Mehrpouyan, 2021; Cakmak, 2023). This shift offers innovative approaches for engaging with literary texts and theories, moving beyond conventional classroom methods. Integrating social media platforms, learning complex theories, and reading various genres of literary texts help students see a clear connection between theoretical understanding and everyday realities to build a sense of community. As Ruzy (2011) argues, “What we teach in class, be it literature or languages, should coincide with issues that act in response to many burning problems in the world today” (p. 89). However, most of the studies mentioned above do not specifically address the importance, benefits, and outcomes of using IG to understand complex literary theories and their applications in real-world contexts. Although some of the participants involved in the studies are from the English Literature programme, they do not emphasise using IG to enhance critical literary skills, particularly in understanding literary theory and its practical application in real-life contexts. These studies do share similar experiences and outcomes, in which they find that this social media platform is a powerful learning tool both for educators and learners. Due to a lack of literature on the use of IG to represent students’ understanding and theoretical application of issues and themes in literary analysis, the present study serves as groundwork to explore the subject matter.

MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY

A total of 44 students enrolled in this course in Semester 1, 2024/2025. To enhance student engagement with current issues related to Marxist theory, which centres on socio-economic relationships and concepts such as capitalism, class struggle, alienation, and material circumstances, the following methodological approach is implemented in this study.

Drawing on Krippendorff’s (2004) content analysis method, the study begins by identifying both the overt messages and underlying meanings embedded within IG visual choices and captions pertinent to the Marxist approach discussed in class. Content analysis holds a significant position among the diverse array of investigative methods accessible to researchers. Due to this, scholars have developed and introduced a diversity of research techniques to achieve various research purposes. This method is applied to address the first research question, systematically classifying, organising, and interpreting the posts based on key visual symbols and textual themes. In doing so, it reveals students’ visual choices, reflects their attitudes, interests and cultural patterns and describes their behavioural responses to the subject matter (Berelson, 1952). The roles and implications of these visual representations are subsequently discussed to analyse students’ perceptions and understandings of the literary theory and its core concepts. As Krippendorff (2004) explains, content analysis engages with various forms of data, including printed texts, images, and sounds, collectively understood as “texts”- to explore their meanings, the possibilities they open or foreclose, and the effects of the information they transmit (p. xviii).

Following the phase above, a selected number of IG posts (images and captions) from the total submissions are chosen for in-depth analysis. These visual choices and captions are then interpreted within the framework of Marxist literary criticism, as outlined by Ann B. Dobbie in Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism (2012), the theoretical book used to introduce the Marxist literary criticism in this class. This phase specifically responds to the second research question. It will be complemented by a discussion on the key terms or concepts students employed in their captions to articulate and reflect on the relationship between social class issues and the lived experiences of their everyday environments. In addition, before this study was initiated, students were asked permission to use and quote their works in this study. Students’ works outlined in this article reflect and reveal their understanding of applying theoretical concepts from Marxist literary studies to their own experiences of their environment, social circles, and personal backgrounds.

There was a discrepancy between the total number of submissions and the course enrollment, as two students failed to submit their IG posts via PutraBLAST. However, the dataset of 42 submissions remains sufficiently robust and diverse, making it well-suited for a comprehensive content analysis.  To classify the visual choices made by the students in their IG posts, this study combines thematic and contextual approaches, aligning them with the research focus on Marxist literary criticism. The categories are divided into two main dimensions: spatial and geographical context, and social context. The first dimension categorises the visual choices into two primary areas: local and global space and geography, encompassing urban-rural and public-private spaces. In contrast, the social context encompasses themes involving human interactions with their identity, economic roles, consumption and material culture, and art and cultural expression. The technique used here is aligned with Krippendorff’s (2004) argument on content analysis, in which he stated that:

[I]t is an unobtrusive technique that allows researchers to analyse relatively unstructured data in view of the meanings, symbolic qualities, and expressive contents they have and of the communicative roles they play in the lives of the data’s sources (p. 44).

Therefore, this method is applicable to explore and examine deeper meanings, symbols and messages within, as well as how these elements shape or reflect the experiences of the people who created them.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The Spatial and Geographical Context

A total of 26 students’ visual submissions were categorised under this theme. Within this category, the images were further classified into local and global spatial representations, including both public-private spaces and urban-rural areas. Only six images were selected for this category. The analysis reveals that 21 students focused on local settings, such as Malaysian cities and villages in Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu, Selangor, and Sabah. Most images that capture scenes and snippets of life and physical structure in Kuala Lumpur appear as an overwhelming stimulus of chaos, complexity, and conflict, highlighting density, mobility, and monotony. Fundamentally, the students’ choices of images of the city in this project conform to Kevin Lynch’s (1960) idea of a city, which he stated,

“A beautiful and delightful city environment is an oddity, some would say an impossibility…They are clear enough about the ugliness of the world they live in, and they are quite vocal about the dirt, the smoke, the heat, and the congestion, the chaos and yet the monotony of it (p.2).

Through this mini project, students utilise Instagram as a platform where they can express their perspectives candidly by capturing scenes of people in motion and chaos and of the energetic and noisy life in the city at night, as evidenced in Image 1.0 below. In the caption, the student identifies the vibrant atmosphere on Kuala Lumpur streets at night. He commented:

“My family and I walked through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, taking in the vibrant atmosphere. I took out my phone to capture moment, and it struck me: ‘Amid the bustling crowd, the scene reflects the essence of Marxist theory- a space where the dynamics of labour, capital, and consumerism converge. The quiet struggles of the working class are overshadowed by the demands of the capital, highlighting the ever-present tension between exploitation and survival in the marketplace.” (Caption 1.0, 2024/2025).

The caption guides us toward his critical perspective, a reflection on how the city becomes a site of capitalist performance, where the interplay between labour, capital, and consumerism is constantly unfolding. He uses the phrase “quiet struggles of the working class” juxtaposed with “the demands of the capital”, revealing his consciousness of invisible labour. His interpretation resonates with Dobie’s explanation of Marxist theory, particularly with concepts like ‘material circumstances’, an economic condition underlying the society (2012, p. 87). Furthermore, by choosing a personal moment to frame the situation, he bridges the gap between individual experience and structural critique, exemplifying that even a casual late-night stroll through the city is laden with ideological undertones.

The urbanites in Image 2.0 show signs of extraordinary dissonance where the man in a blue shirt, presumably homeless, occupies the space not as an urban wanderer, but as a permanent fixture in transience. On the other hand, the youthful urbanites stride forward, immersed in their routines and purposes. The image symbolically captures the economic realities of the homeless man, positioned alone on a busy pavement with only a plastic bag by his side. He is framed by the impersonal urban landscape, with towers of glass and neon, and surrounded by indifferent passersby who do not even glance in his direction. These visual elements convey the complexity of modern urban life, aligning with Jens Martin Gurr’s (2021) description of the city as a dynamic intersection of constant movement, chaos, and contested claims over the use of space.

“Amid the towering structures of capitalism, the sidewalk becomes the stage where the realities of class struggle unfold, where a stark contrast between the flow of consumerism and the silent resilience of those pushed to the margin.” (Caption 2.0, 2024/2025).

In the student’s captions above, she situates the sidewalk as a symbolic stage for the performance of class dynamics. This shows her understanding that ideological structures can also be materially embedded in the physical environment. She adds, “the towering structures of capitalism” to portray a visual emblem of wealth and socio-economic power that juxtaposes the invisibility of the working class, who are pushed to the margin. The student’s choice of words: “resilience,” “margins”, demonstrates her poetic sensibility and ability to integrate language technicality and critical literary skills.

Meanwhile, the remaining five students shared images captured during their visits to international locations. These included scenes such as slum areas overshadowed by modern high-rise buildings (see Image 3.0) and the microcosm of the capitalist city such as in Jakarta where fractured urban landscape is defined through how the working class appears to be pushed to the edges foregrounding the skyline as the backdrop of the urban landscape (see Image 4.0).

“Capital versus poverty: The Modern Cityscape and Class Conflict in Mumbai. The nearby slums are crowded and chaotic, while in the distance are shiny modern high-rise buildings, symbolising the glory and prosperity of capital. This picture vividly shows the polarised class gap in the city- the intuitive embodiment of Marx’s theory of class conflict.” (Caption 3.0, 2024/2025)

“One city, two worlds. I went to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a couple of days ago. I have to admit that I was shocked by the gap between rich and poor over there. Even more than I have seen in KL. On one side of street, the buildings rise to the sky, the neon lights shine so bright and people there are glamorous, talking and laughing. However, on the other side of the street, there only has dilapidated houses, the dirty smelly water across the neighbourhood and the kids are dropped off from school, barefoot, running through the streets. Who can ever believe that they actually belong to the same city? I saw people lying on the side of the road, but behind them were high buildings and large mansions. Life is so unfair, and I began to wonder how the people live in the slums think. As they see the civilized city everyday, but turn around, they come out of their own shattered houses. They are the significant part of the society, but now they are hidden behind the fancy buildings, making their lives. I hope there’s no more gap between the rich and poor, everybody lives in society equally and making their world better.” (Caption 4.0, 2024/2025)

Both captions above reveal a sharp spatial juxtaposition that serves as a visual and ideological commentary on the nature of capitalism in contemporary urban life. The two students have astutely captured what Marx termed as “a flawed system that involved maintaining the power of a few by the repression of many” (Dobie, p. 88). They foreground social deprivation and economic disparity by highlighting these words: “crowded and chaotic” slums against the backdrop of “shiny modern high-rise buildings”, and “dilapidated houses, dirty smelly water” against the glamorous dwellers living in “the buildings rise to the sky, the neon lights shine so bright”. The captions mark a compelling shift in the students’ gaze and position in these two global cities, Mumbai and Jakarta, from that of a casual tourist to a reflective observer shaped by Marxist critical consciousness. The transformation is evident in the language used and the emotional posture by the end of the reflection. Caption 4.0 indicates this ideological awakening as the student moves beyond “what” of inequality to question “why” and “how”, aligning with Marxist inquiry. It is interesting to learn that students capture this kind of image while travelling, reflecting that their gaze is not merely that of a tourist, but of a witness, an observer, or an urban wanderer, discovering meanings in the unassuming and overlooked. The unsettling coexistence of skyscrapers and slums sparks the students’ curiosity, and by photographing and preserving these scenes, they prove themselves not as passive observers but active interpreters of the city’s fragmented symbols and concealed wounds.

In addition to the images of local and global cityscapes above, students also captured scenes featuring residents and their dwellings within familiar, everyday settings. These were not extraordinary pictures taken with critical intent at first glance. However, through the Marxist lens developed in the course, students came to recognise that such ordinary images hold significant value in portraying the class struggle of our local context. For example, image 5.0 juxtaposes a maintained garden and an ageing apartment with a neglected yard. This picture alone speaks volumes about unequal access to green space. The neat, kempt, and curated garden symbolises privilege, not merely of ownership but of care, time, and resources. It also reflects that the owner of this garden is having a life buffered from precarity, where green space is not just a luxury but a part of daily well-being. In contrast, the disorderly and abandoned yard of the faded-painted apartment block tells a different story. The green space is not so much abandoned, but it was unattended, caught by the cycles of fatigue, overwork, and systemic marginalisation. The unkempt yard belonging to the apartment is still occupied, depicting the residents who persevere in quiet resilience despite being unseen. This image correlates to the student’s caption in her IG post:

“Two worlds divided: the ageing apartment block, a testament to working-class resilience, stands in stark contrast to the lush, cultivated garden- a symbol of privilege and leisure. This juxtaposition captures the enduring struggle between labour and capital, highlighting the disparities in access to beauty, comfort, and prosperity.” (Caption 5.0, 2024/2025)

The student acknowledges this “ageing apartment block” as the living monument to economic endurance and class struggle. She highlights the hardship embedded in this spatial decay, interpreting it as survival amidst neglect. This is a narrative that is often silenced in mainstream depictions of the working poor.

“Side by side, a humble wooden house tells a story of survival, while a modern mansion speaks of affluence: two contrasting worlds in one frame. This picture captures Marx’s theory of class conflict, reminding us that social inequality still persists, even in the closest communities.” (Caption 6.0, 2024/2025)

This task reveals students’ creativity in interpreting and illustrating class struggle on their IG. Their visual storytelling becomes a form of critical engagement, capturing the depiction of their everyday visuals with literary consciousness. As seen in image 6.0, the student captures a striking portrayal of structural inequality located in Kampung Gong Badak, Terengganu. The image was taken from the vantage point of the wooden house, as the photographer gazes directly at the towering, grand residence beyond. From this point of view, it foregrounds the marginalised position of the humble dwelling, while casting the big bungalow as a symbol of opulence and dominance. This composition powerfully visualises class disparity, positioning the viewer within the lived experience of economic subordination. The caption deepens this spatial juxtaposition, subtly reifying Marx’s premise on the result of “commodification”- an attitude that values objects for their ability to impress rather than for their intrinsic use (Dobie, 2012, p. 88). In her remarks, she views the mansion as the epitome of abundant wealth or material prosperity via this description: “a modern mansion speaks of affluence”. In contrast, the modest wooden house standing dwarfed beside it emerges as a quiet symbol of survival. This interpretation, however, could be overly simplistic. As a student not yet burdened by financial responsibilities, she may perceive the grand mansion as an unequivocal symbol of status and economic stability. Yet, the reality may be far more complex. Those residing in such opulent homes might be struggling with the daily pressures of sustaining their income to uphold a particular lifestyle. Conversely, the occupants of the humble wooden house may have already attained a form of financial freedom, unencumbered by the demands of maintaining a large property or the need to impress others. In today’s economic climate, where property ownership entails not only acquisition but also the continual labour and expenditure, material appearances may not accurately reflect one’s actual financial condition. Nevertheless, this task reveals that students’ perspectives and interpretations are inevitably shaped by their social backgrounds. Without imposing judgment, the class remains an open and critical space, welcoming diverse readings and reflections. In the following section, this exploration deepens as students document their everyday encounters with objects and experiences, compelling them to reflect on their own identities and social positioning.

The Social Context

The remaining 16 visual submissions were identified as suitable for this social context. This component was divided into four analytical categories: personal identification, economic roles, consumption and material culture, and art and cultural expression. For analysis, selected items within each category were examined, and the images were selected based on their impactful captions, resonating a deeper understanding of the theory and the authenticity of the scenes captured.

Only one submission under the personal identification category and this student documented her driving license for this task. In her caption, she said,

“Looking back at this receipt got me silenced for a while because I did pay RM70 for a digital driving license which previously we all got physical card but what can we do as the citizen? We will be paying it anyways just to avoid from getting sued which costs more money. At this point, is this really production for basic needs or production for profit?” (Caption 7.0, 2024/2025)

The caption renders a poignant and quite radical critique of the commodification of everyday necessities. For us, this driving license is just a mundane object, but this student redirects our focus toward a broader mechanism of state-sanctioned capitalism, where even essential documents become sites of profit-making. Her reflection, “we will be paying it anyways just to avoid from getting sued which costs more money,” reveals a sense of constrained agency, as citizens who comply not out of consent but compulsion. The driving license becomes a commodified product wrapped in bureaucratic coercion, not for civic function or public safety. The student intensifies her tension in the final line, “Is this really production for basic needs or production for profit?”, a direct invocation of Marxist thought, critiquing the capitalist system that prioritises exchange value over use value.

At first glance, Image 8.0 appears to depict an ordinary office worker engaged in conversation with a colleague. Yet, the caption shifts this perception, revealing that the guy in blue collared shirt is, in fact, a janitor. This unsettling surface-level assumptions draws attention to the often-invisible labour that sustain urban life.

“While others sit at their desks, clicking away on keyboards and chasing deadlines, there’s someone quietly ensuring the space around us is clean and organised-just like this uncle. He is doing what he does every single day. Collecting trash, tidying up, and keeping the office in order, often without recognition or thanks. It’s the kind of work most people never notice, yet it’s so important. Honestly without people like him, the office wouldn’t run smoothly as it does. It makes me realised that while some enjoy the spotlight, others do the invisible work that keeps everything moving. How many times have we passed by someone like him without a glance or a word of appreciation? Maybe it’s time to take a moment and start noticing and appreciating these invisible hands.” (Caption 8.0, 2024/2025)

The caption sheds light on what Thomas Heise refers to as the “urban underworld”, a “particular population that has been singled out at different moments” (2011, p. 8) and aligns with Marx’s proletariat group, of a working class whose manual labour sustains the infrastructure of daily life yet remain unacknowledged and undervalued. Marx also argues that “because the dominant class controls the superstructure, it is able to control the members of the working classes” (Dobie, 2012, p. 89), which means that workers under capitalism are alienated from the fruits of their labour, from their human potential and others in society. The student’s question, “How many times have we passed by someone like him without a glance or a word of appreciation?”, points to this alienation. The janitor’s economic standing plays a crucial role in shaping how society views and treats individuals in such roles. This student raises a critical awareness to break from this dominant capitalist ideology by moving from ignorance to appreciation. It is heartening to witness that a project like this could encourage students to raise such a critical issue and to recognise the importance of acknowledging the marginalised in our society.

Notably, food imagery emerged as the most commonly shared visual content on students’ IG accounts in this social context category. This indicates the centrality of consumption practices and material culture in their self-representation and daily experiences.

While the image submitted does not directly illustrate class conflict, the caption compels a deeper reading, inviting us to see food not merely as sustenance but as a marker of material inequality. The student who posted Image 9.0 above wrote the caption below:

“A feast on a golden plate, Simple rice on a humble slate. One is called fine, the other plain, But both can soothe hunger’s pain.  Silver spoons and hands that share, Both show love, both show care. Why divide what feeds us all? Food should unite, no matter how small.” (Caption 9.0, 2024/2025)

The student attempts to show class division by framing “a feast on a golden plate” and “simple rice on a humble slate” metaphorically. The golden plate symbolises wealth, abundance and the elite class, while humble slate represents the working class who barely survive on the essentials, representing material disparity between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Yet, despite this disparity, both meals “soothe hunger’s pain”, emphasising the universal human need that transcends class. This is aligned with Marx’s idea that capitalism creates division based on material ownership rather than true human value. The final couplet of the final stanza unveils a rhetorical question, reminding us that food, in essence, is a fundamental need that should not be an indication of social division but one that unites us all.

Unfortunately, the visual images under the category of art and cultural expression could not be presented in this study, as the quality and the authenticity of the images are questionable. However, the captions on the images fulfilled the requirement of the analysis, and one of them is presented below:

“A quiet act of devotion unfolds in this gurdwara kitchen, where women prepare langar (free meals served to all, regardless of class, faith or status). Their hands shape dough, weaving threads of equality and compassion. Yet, as they labor quietly, one must ask- where are the men? True equality demands shared responsibility, not just shared spaces. This image reminds us that breaking bread together should also mean breaking barriers of gender roles, creating a langar of fairness both in kitchens and communities.” (Caption 10.0, 2024/2025)

This caption renders Marxist feminism that theorises women’s economic and social contribution as an integral part of capitalism. According to Armstrong (2020), Marxist feminism examines the ways in which gender norms, surrounding femininity and masculinity, shape labour and production within capitalist systems. The preparation of langar, is viewed as a form of unpaid labour, a communal work that is spiritually significant and socially unifying. However, the student calls attention and questions the male contribution in this work, exposing the reality of the persistent gender divide in communal and domestic responsibilities. Women are often perceived as the default caregivers. The absence of men from the kitchen may not have been an issue before this, as no one questions this traditional-structural imbalance that has long been practised within the community. But now, when the student highlights this in her social media posting, she is raising awareness and educating her community for transformative equality. The caption’s final sentiment, “breaking bread together should also mean breaking barriers of gender roles”, embodies the Marxist feminist demand for structural transformation. It is a call for a reimagining of equality where solidarity for communal well-being is not just a symbolic act but grounded in shared responsibilities and labour.

FINDINGS

This mini project has demonstrated students’ ability to comprehend the Marxist literary theory discussed in class. Students articulate their understanding by making meaningful connections to real-world contexts. The captions accompanying their Instagram posts reflect not only their grasp of complex theoretical concepts but also their ability to apply these terms in ways that align thoughtfully with the images that they selected for this assignment. Nine images and ten captions from students’ Instagram accounts have been selected and analysed in this study. These images demonstrate spatial representations that capture local and global locations, as well as ordinary spaces, providing insights for students’ critical interpretations. Representations of Malaysian urban spaces highlight the tension between mobility and marginality, particularly among the working class and the homeless. These depictions engage with Marxist notions of material conditions and commodification, offering a critique of capitalist urban development and the persistence of class-based inequities. Meanwhile, images that focus on global cityscapes foreground the stark contrast between slums and modern towers. This shows that students’ perspectives have shifted from tourist gaze to critical observers, recognising social inequality as systemic and spatially entrenched. Conversely, representations of global cityscapes foreground the stark juxtaposition between impoverished slums and towering modern structures. Such depictions reveal a shit in students’ perspectives, from a superficial tourist gaze to a more critical lens, demonstrating their awareness of social inequality as a systemic and spatially embedded condition. Some images depicted familiar local scenes that reveal unequal access to resources and the resilience of the marginalised communities. These juxtapositions served as visual metaphors for class struggle and socio-economic disparities.

Within the social context dimension, encompassing themes involving human interactions with their identity, economic roles, consumption and material culture, and art and cultural expression, student submissions revealed layered critiques of capitalist structures and class dynamics. The student presents an image that questions state-sanctioned capitalism by highlighting the commodification of essential services, hence foregrounding the personal implications of systemic control. Economic roles were examined through the portrayal of a janitor, dismantling assumptions about the visibility of labour and exposing how working-class contributions, though often overlooked, remain foundational to urban life and social hierarchies. Accompanying captions challenged the alienation of such labour, calling for societal recognition and echoing Marx’s critique of the proletariat condition. Cultural reflections emerged prominently through images of food, a recurring motif symbolising both self-representation and underlying class distinctions. In particular, it juxtaposes luxury and modesty, urging viewers to consider consumption not merely as personal choices but as a potent indicator of social inequality.

Student reflections and learning outcomes revealed a notable shift from passive observation to analytical interpretation, highlighting the development of critical literacy and ideological awareness. Through their language and imagery, students demonstrated an emerging alignment with Marxist critique, engaging with concepts such as structural inequality, commodification, labour invisibility, and class struggle. The mini project fostered poetic sensibility, self-awareness, and social consciousness, illustrating the potential of Instagram as an effective pedagogical tool for visual-literary analysis. By transforming mundane visuals into incisive critiques of class, capital, and urban life, students positioned themselves not merely as spectators but as conscious interpreters of their socio-spatial realities. Their reflective commentaries and curated visual submissions also revealed an understanding of key Marxist literary concepts, which are elaborated upon in the subsequent glossary section. These terms include material circumstances, commodification, social inequality, class struggle, socioeconomic disparity, systemic control, bourgeoisie, proletariat, economic base, superstructure, use value, exchange value, false consciousness, and Marxist feminism.

CONCLUSION

The vital component of the project required students to use Instagram to post an image and write a short caption related to the key aspects of social struggles, reflecting their understanding of Marxist theory and concepts through their lenses. By engaging in literary discussions with their own social media account, students learned to leverage digital platforms to raise awareness and promote sensitivity towards issues of class inequality. This paper probes into selected Instagram posts and captions that students have posted and composed on their personal Instagram accounts to divulge their concerns about social class issues surrounding them. In this inclusive platform, students are encouraged to speak freely, to interrogate what they see, and to situate their voices within broader discourses of class, space, and lived experience. The use of social media platforms to spark social awareness is both timely and commendable. In an era where digital expression shaped public discourse, this act becomes a quiet form of resistance and moral education. It is through this social media engagement that the younger generation can inspire their peers and future youth to think critically, act ethically, and nurture a more just and empathetic society.

While this mini project centred on Marxist criticism, the visual-literary method shows promise across diverse theoretical frameworks and literary discussions. For instance, a feminist reading might draw attention to gendered urban spaces, while postcolonial theory could examine visual remnants of imperial power. This method can also be adapted to diverse educational contexts. Previously, Instagram has been employed to enhance students’ English proficiency, while the present study demonstrates its potential within the literary theory classroom.  It functions not merely as a tool for momentary insight but as a catalyst for sustained literary engagement and critical reflection. Non-Instagram platforms like Padlet or Google Classroom could similarly facilitate reflective, image-based literary engagement. In a situation where limited digital accessibility is present, educators might engage through a printed photo journal or collaborative visual essays.

Glossary of Terms Used in Literary Criticism

These terms are drawn from Ann B. Dobie’s explanation of Marxist Criticism in her seminal work, Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism (2012), which served as a primary reference in the classroom.

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