The communication process at the open stage of a friendship relationship on Instagram’s close friend feature

Abstract

Openness is vital in communication. With openness, communication will be effective because communicators and communication partners are open and honest. The development of technology at this time has changed how information is delivered and received. Social media is a place that is in demand by individuals to communicate. One of the media widely used to make openness is Instagram social media. Instagram social media itself has a public nature where everyone can consume the information shared. Along with the development and updates made by Instagram, the close friend Instagram feature appears, which can help users limit the information shared on the public space of Instagram to a more intimate space with a list of desired people. This study aims to describe the communication process at the stage of openness in the friendship relationship in the close friend feature of Instagram, which is analyzed using the social penetration theory of Altman and Taylor. This research uses a qualitative approach with a non-probability sampling technique with a purposive sampling technique. The results of this study describe a different process of openness in the use of Instagram's close friend feature.