The new INGVterremoti Instagram channel: a first analysis on the impact data of communication

Besides the Istituto di Geofisica e Vulcanologia's [the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology] traditional web pages, since 2010 the INGV Earthquake Deparment (INGVterremoti) platform has been making information about Italy’s ongoing seismicity and earthquake and tsunami research activities available to everyone, also through a series of web and social communication channels, such as Blog Wordpress, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, apps for iPhone and Android, and StoryMaps. Lately, the new INGVterremoti Instagram channel has landed on the platform: it was launched on 27 September 2024 during the European Researchers’ Night. The main task of this new social profile is to show the world of earthquakes and tsunamis through visual-based formats and contents so as to reach out and involve everyone, especially the new generations. The launch of the new Instagram channel is the result of several months of groundwork that brought together collaborators with a specific communication background and experts on natural hazard communication. The long planning and drafting work of a new editorial line led INGVterremoti to take on a new challenge: the communication of risk on a platform that is totally visual-based and mostly populated by a younger audience. In order to do so, it was necessary to develop a specific editorial plan that could identify and organise new content to share on the new account as well as new ways and means of publication. This paper will describe all the stages involved in the development of the INGVterremoti Instagram channel, as well as the results achieved during the first eight months of its activity.