Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, Vol. X, No. Y, XXXX Copyright © 200X Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. The professional practices of travel journalists on Instagram: a generic qualitative study Tatiana Harkiolakis Media and Communications, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK Email: t.harkiolaki@lse.ac.uk Katerina Diamantaki Media and Communications, The American College of Greece (DEREE), Athens, Greece Email: kdiamantaki@acg.edu *Corresponding author[AQ1] Abstract: There is a noted lack of research regarding how journalists use Instagram. This study attempts to address this gap by investigating travel journalists’ perceptions of how the emergence of Instagram as a social media platform has changed their professional journalism practices. Utilising semistructured interviews with a sample of travel journalists with professional Instagram accounts, the findings suggest that Instagram offers new opportunities for forging social and professional networks and acts as a useful tool for research, sourcing, and trend-watching. At the same time, travel journalists continue to negotiate how to construct an authentic identity on Instagram, attract wider followership, and compete with the output of amateur content producers. Study results contribute to emerging research on how journalists use Instagram and how travel journalists use social media. Organisations may need to adjust their expectations of journalists and learn how best to guide them to use social media to their personal and professional benefit. Keywords: journalism; Instagram; travel journalism; social media; professional practices. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Harkiolakis, T. and Diamantaki, K. (xxxx) ‘The professional practices of travel journalists on Instagram: a generic qualitative study’, Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, Vol. X, No. Y, pp.xx–xx. Biographical notes: Tatiana Harkiolakis is an Academic Researcher and Director of Communications at Executive Coaching Consultants. She is completing her Master’s in Media and Communications degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds her BA degree in Communications from The American College of Greece. She has presented her research on topics within media and communications at international conferences and is a published journalist. Her research interests include journalism and social media, digital feminist activism, feminism in Greece and alternative media. She is a Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association. AQ1: Please specify the corresponding author’s name.