Transparency on Social Media: A Case Study on Diversity and Inclusion on Transport for London’s Instagram

Abstract

The study of how social actors are portrayed in business communication is essential for understanding how companies promote diversity and inclusion both internally and to the public (Maier & Ravazzani, 2021). Social media can effectively communicate company values externally, boosting interactivity and openness (Vernuccio, 2014). This study examines how transportation companies construct representations of social actors to promote diversity and inclusion, using Transport for London’s (TfL) Instagram profile as a case study. Drawing on Van Leeuwen (2008) and Reisigl (2017), the analysis critically investigates how Transport for London (TfL) linguistically represents social actors on its Instagram profile, focusing on the discursive strategies used to promote diversity and inclusion. The findings show that TfL favours gender-neutral language and combines both generic and specific representations of social actors. It predominantly relies on individual narratives to address inclusion and diversity. This storytelling approach may reduce the distance between the audience and the content. The dataset also indicates that TfL uses educational posts with hedged language to advise passengers on respectful behaviour while using its services.