The purpose of this research is to explore the use, advantages and
disadvantages of Instagram to strengthen Gen Z's speaking vocabulary. It uses
descriptive qualitative research design by using questionnaires and interviews as
the techniques of data collection. The data were analyzed by using thematic
analysis. It was involved 10 students majoring in English education class of 2020
from Antasari State Islamic University, Banjarmasin. The results showed that there
are 9 Instagram features including Profile and bio, photo and video, stories,
Captions, Reels, Comments, Hashtags, Live, and Direct Message (DM). The
advantages include to improve communication skills and provides a 'back door' for
shy learners, relies on the written word, encourages collaboration and peer
feedback, promotes interpersonal skills, offers a large amount of contextual visual
data, commonly used by young students in all corners of the country and can be
accessed all over the world, the learning process is not limited by time, students
can choose topics or teaching materials that suit their individual desires and needs,
The length of time depends on individual abilities, Accuracy and up-to-date study
materials, interactive, available, affordable and allows one to be immersed in an
English environment, The learning context is informal and increases interest and
motivation. The disadvantages are there are signal problems, violation of user
privacy, uses up a lot of internet quota, the learning experiences may be too
informal, information posted may contain spelling and grammatical errors,
information between people directly is irreplaceable, and lack of real social aspects
of life