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

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.