Young people dive in Instagram. A study from the perspective of uses and gratifications

This research will analyse the use of Instagram from the perspective of uses and gratifications theory. The goal of the study was to know the motives for using Instagram and the role of individual differences in relation to the intrusion of Instagram (understood as an attachment and excessive participation in that social network). An online survey was carried out in which 401 people between 18 and 36 years old (73.1% women) residing in Spain who had an Instagram profile participated. The questionnaire contained several self-report scales to measure the motives for using Instagram, intrusion, and other individual differences measures (self-esteem, social comparison and envy). The results indicated that the main reasons for using Instagram were social interaction, creativity and documentation, and escape and self-promotion were the least relevant motives for our respondents. However, through a multiple linear regression analysis it was observed that the motives that predicted a greater intrusion of Instagram were the search for self-promotion and escape. Finally, it was observed that the orientation towards social comparison and self-esteem were associated with greater intrusion. Our study contributes to the literature on the study of social networks and, in particular, on the predictive factors that explain a more problematic use of Instagram, taking into account motivational variables and individual differences. In this way, our research clarifies the knowledge about the processes underlying the use of Instagram and introduces the concept of intrusion in uses and gratification research.