This study examines the public relations functions of eight Kuwaiti banks listed in the Kuwait Stock Exchange Market (KSEM) that post on their Instagram accounts. It also uses market-size, organization, and individual level predictors to model Instagram postings. A content analysis of 1502 posts revealed the banks use Instagram for promotion, information dissemination, community building, and interactive engagement, in that order of prominence. The findings suggest banks operate at the confluence of visual communication through Instagram and integration of religious symbolism to serve a public relations function predicated on image and influence. In doing so, the banks tap into the wellspring of social media use by target publics by navigating a balance between obedience to Allah and meeting bank business objectives. The resulting tension between sacred and secular highlights Arab cultural values and suggests Instagram fosters individualism, which challenges Arab emphasis on collectivism and fractures the notion online platforms can effectively build meaningful relationships that characterize Arab culture. The study posits Instagram is more effective in an Arab context at image building than relationship building, threading the importance of visual communication through social media across Arab culture and global public relations practices.

Introduction

A Middle Eastern country, the State of Kuwait is bordered by Iraq on the North, Saudi Arabia on the South and the Arabian Gulf on the East. The population of the country is estimated to be roughly 4 million, of which Kuwaiti nationals represent only 31%. The country is a constitutional monarchy in which the Emir shares authority with an elected national assembly. Oil is the main contributor to the country’s economy (CIA Factbook, 2017). Kuwait enjoys a robust banking system due to the supportive policy of the Kuwaiti Central Bank, a healthy economy and limited competition from foreign banks. Nearly 80% of the population has Internet access, providing the technological underpinnings for what Greenfield (2013) calls “Kuwait’s booming Instagram economy.” More than 40 percent of the Kuwaiti population uses Instagram (Statista, 2016). Kuwait is not alone; according to Brandwatch’s Kit Smith (2019), the number of monthly active Instagram users is more than one billion globally. Instagram is now one of the most popular social networks worldwide, especially among those 35 and under (Statista, 2018). Despite the meteoric rise in Instagram use, little research has examined its implications for global public relations practice, and no extant studies have focused on its prominence and use for public relations in the Arab world, where culture and religion are inextricably linked. There is a general consensus in the literature that certain attributes and practices characterize Arab public relations. Many studies use the centrality of Islam as a focal point that distinguishes public relations in the Middle East from its western counterparts.