Our contemporary information and communication technology have dramatically improved people’s living standards globally. Research, however, indicates that the time that most people spend on their social networking sites (SNSs), smartphones, playing video games, or watching TV may significantly affect their mental and physical health. As much as individuals tend to have an increased social capital, self-esteem, perceived social support, and increased opportunity for self-exposure, they also face issues including increased social isolation, exposure to harm, cyber-bullying, and depression. Instagram, with around 500 million users in 2016, has approximately 20 billion photos since its creation back in 2010. The extensive use of such social media platforms calls for research, especially on the negative impacts that they may cause to individual users, particularly Instagram users. Photography, a standard feature on the Instagram application, can serve as a way of communication as its contents can transmit information concerning the subject, a given time or place, or specific activities, hence studying about it can be useful in understanding its effects to individual users. Pictures speak louder than words, as proven by the use of Instagram, as its simplicity and creativity have allowed their users to share and acknowledge the lives of other users through sharing photos. Instagram is also at the forefront in promoting the interaction between celebrities and commercial brands (including Starbucks and Adidas), and their customers. Understanding the effects of images shared through social media platforms and its impact on the moods and wellbeing of its users is also vital due to increased cases related to unfavorable social comparison and depressive symptoms among Instagram users. The purpose of this research is to discuss the effects of Instagram images on the user’s moods and how it affects our psychological wellbeing.
Literature Review
Instagram and the effects of its images on the user’s moods is a relevant topic in our contemporary society since most people are actively engaged in social media. With around 500 million users in 2016, Instagram controls a significant percentage of the world’s population who use it mostly in sharing pictures and videos. Instagram’s functionality is mainly reserved for the sharing of pictures and short video clips and is well known for its use of different filters for enhancing photos. Instagram account owners can manipulate their respective photos to look more appealing visually as well as a direct messaging function which allows users to comment and ‘like’ on the videos and photos of other Instagram users (Sherlock and Wagstaff. 2019). Such appealing features by the platform, especially its visual content enhancement capabilities, encourage more users to engage more in social comparison which can have negative outcomes to the users. With more users, it is necessary to consider the negative effects of the platform to its users as far as their moods, and possibly, psychological well-being are concerned. According to Lup, Trub, and Rosenthal (2015), attribution theory highlights the tendency of people to attribute the behaviors of others to dispositional instead of situational factors.
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The attribution theory emphasizes that browsing enhanced celebrity or stranger photos on Instagram may trigger assumptions among other users, that these people live or look that way. As a result, other users of the platform are likely to experience negative feelings and moods about the self, especially those following a large number of strangers. The mood management theory also relates to the topic and it suggests that individuals may choose certain media platforms as a distraction to negative moods or to maintain their positive moods. Among themes that will be discussed include the motivations for using Instagram, the relation between Instagram use and psychological well-being (including depression) among youths, and the impact of Instagram on personal and professional lives.
The Impact of Instagram on Psychological Well-being (Depression) among its users
This was the broadest theme that I learned while reviewing the topic’s previous literature. According to research done on a sample of 177 Instagram users, more frequent use of the platform, as well as the higher level of strangers followed, can be associated with greater depressive symptoms (Lup, Trub, and Rosenthal, 2015). Depressive symptoms are a result of vulnerable users of the platform judging themselves based on assumptions that other strangers live better lives, which is not always the case. This research is vital to the main topic since it sheds light on how social comparison can affect moods of its users, including self-esteem, general anxiety, and Body Image Disturbance (BID). Sherlock and Wagstaff (2019), further state that the complexity of photos and profiles seen on the Instagram platform may make other vulnerable users believe they are authentic, making them engage in social comparison, which often results in low moods, esteem, and eventually depression. Research by Frishon and Eggermont (2017), done through questionnaires filled by 1,840 participants, concluded that Instagram use may enhance negative comparison behaviors which then increases depression among adolescents using the platform. Concerning the mood management theory, the duo, however, states that different use of the platform may impact the user’s depression levels differently. The strategic self-presentation provided by Instagram may attract young users with high depression moods since it allows them to enhance their image and find encouragement through positive comments and likes.
Motivations for Using Instagram
Understand the motivations behind the use of the Instagram platform can be vital in understanding how to control the user’s addiction to the platform and manage its effect to their moods. Pictures indeed speak louder than words and more people are moved through pictures than words. According to research by Lee, Lee, Moon, and Sung (2015), who did an online survey concerning motivations for using the platform in Korea for 3 weeks, Instagram uses the “image first, text second” rule which creates a strong culture that is visual-oriented, thanks to its photo-editing features. This research can be done further to correlate with the main topic in the by researching on the extent on which the platform’s rule impacts people’s moods as they interact with the platform daily. Sheldon & Newman (2019), state that social interaction, self-expression, and peeking are the main reasons why most people use Instagram as their chosen social media platform. According to Oeldorf-Hirsch and Sundar (2016), private photography is motivated by the urge to share our experiences online, thanks to advanced technology (e.g. social media features and increased bandwidth). Individuals can identify specific motivations that motivate them to share their photos and experiences, such as sharing and updating on their children’s activities. The study of the motivations of people to use the platform can be vital in understanding the reason behind mood changes among its users once the photos or videos are shared online.
The impact of Instagram on Personal and Professional Lives
According to Fleck and Johnson-Migalski (2015), social media platforms, including Instagram, can positively impact personal and professional lives as well as communities at large. Social media platforms have been successfully used during disaster response, point of care consultation, and data collection among research participants. Wrong use of social media can negatively impact one’s professional life concerning their risk to privacy, professional/personal identities, and online boundaries ( Wang, Yu, Zuo, Huang, Cai & Cheng, 2018). There are relations between one’s moods and it impact on workplace environments and this can provide room for research on how Instagram can cause behavioral changes in the workplace due to the images shared. For personal life, the use of technology, including addictive platforms like Instagram, may result in unhealthy eating habits and weight-related issues, which may eventually affect the user’s psychological well-being. Research by Zeeni, Doumit, Kharma, and Sanchez-Ruiz (2018), was done on 244 voluntary graduates from a Lebanese university emphasizes that technology users may experience damaging effects on their body image due to Body Image Dissatisfaction (BID). BID occurs when one has unhelpful thoughts about their body image and the inconsistency between their real and ideal bodies, and are directly associated with one’s well-being. Moreover, specific activities on Social Networking Sites, such as uploading and viewing photos as well as seeking negative feedbacks through status updates directly affect the user’s moods and increase their BID. A more comprehensive study on the effects of Instagram to personal lives is, therefore, relevant in understanding the relation between the user’s negative moods and thoughts and the photos shared on the platform.
The literature review shows current the research and developments in the field so far as well as the gaps that need further research. The gaps that exist in the past literature include a lack of enough study on the exposure to idealized images in different presentation formats. From the literature review, gaps also exist on the direct comparison of the unique consequences of Instagram use to other Social Networking Sites (SNSs), given its rising popularity. This research will cover the concept of idealized Instagram images in different formats and how they affect one’s moods. The research will also compare the consequences of direct comparison in Facebook and Instagram.
Hypothesis: Continuous use of Instagram and its photo-enhancing features could result in the images affecting the moods of the users.
References
Fleck, J., & Johnson-Migalski, L. (2015). The impact of social media on personal and professional lives: An Adlerian perspective. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 71 (2), 135-142.
Frison, E., & Eggermont, S. (2017). Browsing, posting, and liking on Instagram: The reciprocal relationships between different types of Instagram use and adolescents' depressed mood. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 20 (10), 603-609.
Lee, E., Lee, J. A., Moon, J. H., & Sung, Y. (2015). Pictures speak louder than words: Motivations for using Instagram. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 18 (9), 552-556.
Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram# instasad? Exploring associations among Instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18 (5), 247-252.
Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & Sundar, S. S. (2016). Social and technological motivations for online photo sharing. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 60 (4), 624-642.
Sheldon, P., & Newman, M. (2019). Instagram and American Teens: Understanding Motives for Its Use and Relationship to Excessive Reassurance-Seeking and Interpersonal Rejection. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 8 (1), 1-16.
Sherlock, M., & Wagstaff, D. L. (2018). Exploring the relationship between frequency of Instagram use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. 8 (42). 482-490.
Wang, F., Yu, C., Zuo, S., Huang, N., Cai, P., & Cheng, L. (2018). “Distant” Pictures Benefit Emotion Regulation in Emotion Disclosure on WeChat Moments. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21 (8), 498-503.
Zeeni, N., Doumit, R., Abi Kharma, J., & Sanchez‐Ruiz, M. J. (2018). Media, Technology Use, and Attitudes: Associations With Physical and Mental Well‐Being in Youth With Implications for Evidence‐Based Practice. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 15 (4), 304-312.
