Social media has quickly become an integral part of day-to-day interaction for many university students. This exploratory study investigated the use of the social media site Instagram for written discussions in three introductory French classes (n= 83). Specifically, student perception on the role of image as a mediational tool (Vygotsky, 1978) to support writing and reading processes was explored. Findings from survey data showed that participants perceived image to play a role in four areas: their preferences for certain writing topics, their choices to engage (or not engage) in discussion with their peers, their reading comprehension, and their writing. Pedagogical implications and potential for future academic inquiry are discussed.