Instagram as A Media to Enhance Writing Skill of Students in Langsa

This research is carried out to investigate how the uses of Instagram application to improve students’ writing skill. The participant of this research is three students of seventh semester from English Department of IAIN Langsa in academic Years 2020/2021 who have been selected through purposive sampling based on certain characteristics. In here, there are 3 students. This research used qualitative method to gain the data; observation and documentation. Based on the results, they used Instagram features; photo and video sharing and social network to share their mind and daily activity on it. Therefore, they can use it to find many accounts that they wanted. And then, the researcher found that the participants searched and followed several educational accounts that contain learning English content. Concequently, the participants’ writing ability improve after they convey their ideas on Instagram. As the result, they were able to practice and apply what they have learnt before in writing English caption actively on their Instagram accounts. It also can be proven from their writing score which participant 1 obtained 83 score, participant 2 obtained 87 score and participant 3 obtained 62 score in writing English in the manner of using proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, appropriate content, appropriate vocabulary, and conveying clear information.


INTRODUCTION
Technology is the application of science that aims to fill human needs and accelerate the achievement of the objectives of each activity that will be carried out. Technology gives people opportunities to spend their time more effectively. People have been assisted by technology including learning a foreign language. The one of assisting part of technology is social media. Social media is a great place for students to express themselves because it encourages distinctiveness. The integration of gadgets and social media helps a lot (Wil, C, S, C, et.al., 2019, p. 225).
Social media represents "the technologies or applications that people use in developing and maintaining their social networking sites (C. Fuchs, 2017, p. 38). Hence, the students can utilize social media to improve their English learning skills.
This research investigates how the uses social media of Instagram application to improve students' writing skill and it is impact on State Institute of Islamic Studies Langsa students of English department in writing skill. Instagram was launched in October 2010. It has attracted more than 150 million monthly active users, with an average of 55 million photos uploaded by users per day. And more than 16 billion photos shared so far. And 90% of users are under the age of 35. Based on Instagram's education demographics, users with some college education are most active on Instagram with 30% and college graduates have the second highest activity at 18%, while users with a high school diploma or less make up another 15%. (Yuheng Hu, et.al., 2014;Instagram, 2017 Zidny and Suharso (2017, p. 191) reported that the use of Instagram in the teaching and learning process significantly improved the students' writing skill. The students made a good improvement on the aspects of content, vocabulary, organization, grammar, and mechanics. The social media worked well to improve their interest, focus, and proficiency in writing.
The purpose of this research is to investigate how the uses of Instagram application to improve students' writing skill and the question of this research is how are the uses of Instagram application to improve students' writing skill?

LITERATURE REVIEW
This section contains the previous literature that concerned with social media and language learning; In relation to English language learning, writing skill, and Instagram application.

Writing Skill
Writing is one of the productive skills which more emphasized in produce language. Damanik (2017, p. 38) states that writing skills is one of four English skills that should be mastered as English foreign learner. Writing is focus on how to produced language than receive language. Nevertheless, Celce and Murcia (2000) indicate that: "Writing is the production of the written word that results in a text but the text must be read and comprehended in order for communication to take place. In making good writing, we should use the correct grammar, choose appropriate vocabulary, manifested by handwriting, spelling, layout and punctuation. (Celce and Murcia, 2000, 142)." Writing is functional communication, making learners possible to create imagined worlds of their own design. It means ideas, even experiences in their mind on the paper.

English
Social media is being quickly working up during last few years. Many people are connected by accessing social media.
Everyday, more than 90 percent of college students visit a sosial networking site. People have woven these networks into their daily routines, using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, online gaming environments, and other tools (Raut and Patil, 2016, p. 281).
According to Boateng and Amankwaa (2016), social media is rapidly changing the communication setting of today is social world. The emergent of social media is significantly influencing the academic life of students. Therefore, students can utilize social media as supporting media in learning and can fill their academic needs.
Patel (in Mardiana, 2016, p. 2) states that using social media in a learning process begin to rise significantly and likely to imply for education practice and provision especially in term of connecting

METHODS
This section presents the participants of the study, research design, and the procedure of data collection.

The Participants of the Study
The participants were English department students of IAIN

Research Design
This research is applying qualitative method. Qualitative method is looking for a deep understanding of a phenomenon, fact or reality (Raco, 2010, p. 1). According to Creswell (2009, p. 1), qualitative research as an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem.
The research presents the identification and analysis of a phenomenon related to improve students' writing skill by using Instagram application. In this research, the researcher investigated the participants' experiences, impressions, and perceptions toward the use of Instagram to improve students' writing skill.

The Procedure of Data Collection
The research used observation and documentation method as the instrument of the research. The researcher observed the activities of the participants' Instagram accounts by using researcher's account approximately four months. Before doing the observation, the researcher has been allowed by the participants since they gave agreement to be participants for writing results as additional data for the research.

RESULTS
The data were gained from two sources data that consist of observation and documentation method to support finding and discussion of this research. The data were described as follow: • She often wrote motivation words on her Instagram.

The Result of Observation
• Sometime she used short and long English captions on Instagram.
• She also actively followed international accounts which contain English and educational accounts. 7 accounts that she has followed.
• She not only put English caption. But, she also posted pictures containing English and aesthetic pictures which is edited by herself.
• She has posted 20 times with English captions on Instagram.
• with phrases. For instance, Participant 1 was able to write simple sentences 7 times and write phrases 10 times. Participant 2 was able to write compound sentences 3 times and write phrases 2 times. Meanwhile, participant 3 was able to write simple sentences 2 times and write a compound sentence. Entering 2020, the participants have more confidence to show their skill in writing English caption. They started to explore their writing skill with writing English caption more interesting than before. It can be seen on the table of participants' Instagram activities above. Not only have good writing caption recently on Instagram. But also, they were able to finish the academic writing task very well. They recognized to write an essay correctly. Furthermore, they can make an essay in the manner of using proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, appropriate content and vocabulary. They also can arrange to write an essay based on the composition of the writing consisting of an introduction, development of idea, and conclusion. As the result, they are used to implement their writing skill to help the academic needs in college.
Moreover, the researcher also found how often participants open educational accounts both local and international accounts. They have followed that so automatically the latest posts from that accounts will appear on their Instagram wall. The researcher can be concluded that the participants actively use Instagram with using English. Furthermore, they play Instagram not only just having friends or just sharing their daily life.
But also share something interesting by actively using English as a caption in their posts which indirectly they also share knowledge about English with the followers who read their posts. Besides using English captions on Instagram, participants take advantage of social networking to search foreign accounts that can help them to improve their English skills. Hence, they can be also active in opening local or international accounts where there is English learning content.

The Result of Documentation
The researcher has carried out documentation stage for three participants. The type of documentation was in form of pictures screenshots that have been posted by participants on Instagram. The documents were analyzed indicate that using Instagram application obtained to improve students' writing skill. Through Instagram, students were allowed to take advantages of their facilities in improving their English learning skills. The following are one of the documentation stage taken by the researcher.

DISCUSSION
This stage discusses about some data analysis based on the theories used in this research. The theories are about using social media such as Instagram application to improve students' writing skill. This research includes the theory of Patel (in Mardiana, 2016, p. 2) which states that using social media in a learning process begin to rise significantly and likely to imply for education practice and provision especially in term of connecting with their students or with their colleagues, to access news and appear in their walls. Meanwhile, participant 3 obtained 62 score.

CONCLUSION
Based on findings and discussion in previous chapter, the result of this study shows that the participants of English department students of