Why do Instagram users have secondary or spam accounts? Investigating motivations for private accounts, implications of finsta, and social media presence.

Introduction

In the past decade, many social media apps have launched and thrived. Social media has seen an explosive rise in users over the past few years. As of 2022, there are 4.89 billion users worldwide (Howarth, 2022). Reports have suggested that young adults share more information about themselves on their profiles than ever before (Madden et al, 2013). Research on social media use has shown that Instagram, a popular SNS, is widely used for digital communication and self-presentation (Huang and Vitak, 2022). For instance, individuals may use Instagram to keep up with trends, stay informed, and connect with peers. This research report will aim to explore the motivations for fake Instagram (finsta), and how users might adapt different ways of navigating social media.

Research question

Self-presentation on Instagram

Since Instagram’s launch in 2010, there has been a noticeable shift from blogging and text oriented to photography and visual based social media platforms (Li and Xie, 2020). The nature of Instagram as a photo-sharing platform makes it unique among other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Instagram has been favoured by users due to the abundance of visuals and the reduced emphasis on text. When using Instagram, users focus more on creating and posting visually appealing photos that communicate specific aspects of their personality or lifestyle. For instance, users may share photos of their vacations, fitness goals, or other experiences to present themselves in a positive light (Smith and Sanderson, 2014). Selfie culture (Murray, 2015) is also a major aspect of the positive self-presentation that takes place on Instagram. Users post selfies and carefully select filters, captions, and tags to make themselves appear more attractive and interesting (Peraica, 2017). Festinger’s social comparison theory proposes that individuals evaluate themselves by comparing themselves to others (Festinger, 1954). Users may compare themselves to others by looking at their followers, likes, and comments. Users may also strive to present themselves in a positive light and compare the reaction they get from their followers to others to evaluate their self worth. This theory highlights how Instagram users may measure themselves in light of the positive or negative self-presentations they encounter.

Goffman's self-presentation theory provides an understanding of how an individual's own portrayal of their ideal self in front of an audience, as well as how that self-presentation differs based on the target demographic they are performing for (Huang and Vitak, 2022). The theory describes how individuals try to present themselves to others by controlling the information they reveal, while suggesting the principle of having an ‘on’ and ‘off’ button. ‘On’ describes a highly engaged state where an individual performs carefully selected self-presentation to a specifically targeted audience, while ‘off’ refers to a more relaxed state where they can let go of performativity and behave like their true selves (Goffman, 1959). Applying Goffman’s theory on Instagram, users may adopt the ‘on’ mode for public accounts, employing tactics such as carefully selecting which images to post, using filters and tags to enhance their photos, and composing captions that convey the image they wish to project to their audience. In contrast, they may adopt the ‘off’ mode for finstas, treating it as a safe haven from the anxiety of posting on public accounts that might be for work/professional life, and when they experience a lack of desire to perform the curated self.

The impact of social media on users and societal behaviour

Social media has significantly impacted users and societal behaviour. On the individual level, social media provides users with a platform to interact with others, share information, and form connections. Studies have shown that people view social media as a useful tool for raising awareness of socio-political issues, shaping people's views, and influencing policy decisions (Wike et al, 2022). On a societal level, social media has changed the way people communicate and consume information, such as the way people interact with each other and how they expect to receive information. Social media has altered the way we consume news media and the amount of time we spend on certain activities, and it is making it harder for people to communicate and engage in face-to-face conversations (Amedie, 2015, p. 3-4). The impact of social media on interpersonal life is just as significant as the impact on personal life. People can communicate with their friends, family members, co-workers, and strangers in one place and engage in conversations that would otherwise be too difficult or personal to communicate through other forms of communication (Subramanian, 2017, p. 71-72). Social media has also impacted behaviour by shaping societal norms and culture. For example, Instagram has influenced the way people perceive beauty standards and body image, leading to increased pressure to conform to unrealistic standards (Verrastro et al, 2020). This can lead to harmful behaviours like increased anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. While social media has many benefits, such as providing a platform for social interaction, it has changed the way people communicate, consume information, and perceive societal norms and culture. 

The possible decline in social media presence

There are several reasons for the possible decline in social media presence. One reason is the declining trust of consumers in social media platforms. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2018, consumers trust social media less than before, with global trust in social media platforms dropping to only 41% (Arnold, 2018). This lack of trust is fueled by various factors ranging from concerns about data privacy to the spread of fake news and hate speech (HaileyB, 2019). Another reason for the possible decline in social media presence is the falling engagement rates and fewer post interactions (Barnhart, 2023). The ever-changing algorithms make it difficult for businesses and individuals to reach their target audience organically. The social media landscape is constantly changing, and new platforms are emerging, capturing the attention of younger generations (Howarth, 2022). For example, Gen Z is gravitating towards content on platforms like TikTok, which provides short-form, interactive video content, thus making traditional platforms less attractive to this demographic (Howarth, 2022). 

Figure 1. Life cycle of social networks (Varghese, 2011).

Launched in 2003, MySpace is a good example of a full life cycle. MySpace was a social media platform focused on niche music and subcultures. However, when Facebook launched in 2004 and gained mass popularity, users began moving platforms and slowly transitioned from MySpace to Facebook. This led to making MySpace a secondary location, and its eventual decline. This life cycle confirms that Instagram could potentially experience the same fate as MySpace and Facebook, getting phased out by the youngest generation of users because of ever changing user demands and social media trends.

Methodology

After producing a research question agreed by a unit tutor, the primary method of choice for this research project was online surveys. Online surveys are structured questionnaires. This data collection method is helpful for researchers to learn more about behaviour, preferences, beliefs, attitudes, and sentiments. The survey was conducted on Google Forms and shared online, such as posting a link on stories, sending a link on group chats, personally inviting potential participants to take the survey, etc.

There are two main types of data - observed data and self-reported data. Observed data is collected through watching events and behaviour in their neutral state, where they can be overt (knowingly observed) or covert (unknowingly observed). Most big data is considered to be observed data (Poynter, 2020). Since observed data are widely available online and in repositories, this type of data can be useful when it comes to researching digital spaces, such as exploring how users are talking about a specific topic, identifying influencers in online conversation, measuring the frequency users are posting toxic content, etc. However, when a traditional research method such as observation is extended and transformed to fit the digital sphere, problems regarding ethics arise (Tromble, 2021). For this project, there would be issues with privacy and visibility. For example, in order to gather observed data about an individual’s private finsta account, the researcher would have to carry out covert research. Although this method may enable the collection of a larger set of more raw and unfiltered data which would benefit this project (Franzke et al, 2020, p. 12), making it a tempting method to conduct this particular research, the researcher must be mindful in regards to research ethics and privacy. Since the nature of said finsta accounts are rooted in privacy and sometimes anonymity, obtaining those data without providing the participants an option to opt out or having informed consent from the participants may be considered an unethical invasion of privacy.

Contrarily, self-reported data are based on an individual’s own report used to study personal beliefs and attitudes towards a specific topic. This method allows the researcher to survey a wide range of audiences with great flexibility, speed, and convenience. The diversity of participants and the ease to obtain large samples could make this research more well rounded, and the ability to include a required or forced completion of certain survey questions can ensure that the researcher obtains all the necessary information for this project. However, online surveys have their own weaknesses. One of them being sampling issues, which can impact the final results. A sample helps generalise the results for a larger target audience without the need to survey every individual in that group. When conducting online surveys, the researcher must have a clear idea on who to survey. This project aims at English speaking young adults from the ages of 18-25 who are users of Instagram. As a result, the researcher gathered responses from 22 undergraduate students - participants’ age ranged from 18 to 24, with 81.8% being female and 18.2% being male. 100% reported to be active users of Instagram, where 22.7% use one account, 50% use two accounts, and 27.3% use three or more accounts. This was achieved by non probability sampling, which included sending the survey link to selected individuals who met the criterias (self selected sampling), online student group chats, and imploring people to take the survey in university student spaces (snowball sampling). 

Figure 2. An example screenshot from the online survey.

It was important for the researcher to carefully craft the survey. Aspects such as the amount, order, content, and flow of the questions were considered. The amount of points (5, 7, or 10) for linear scale questions were consciously designed in order to encourage participants to give the most accurate responses. There were limitations when it came to response rates, if the survey required responses from a larger group of participants, the quota might be difficult to reach. However, this can be remedied by providing incentives for participants who complete the survey, such as rewards in the form of money, gift cards, or prizes. This survey was cross-sectional, meaning that it took place at one given point in time. As opposed to longitudinal survey methods, the data collected represents a snapshot description or explanation of the phenomenon under study for the respondents at that given time only. The survey contains both quantitative and qualitative data. Nine out of ten questions take the form of linear scales, yes or no questions, and multiple choice questions, making them quantitative. The one remaining question is presented in an open ended format where participants had the freedom to write in their own words, making it qualitative.

Data Analysis

From the survey, participants revealed that most of them spend relatively little time on Instagram, with over 63.6% spending less than an hour, 27.3% spending 1 - 2 hours, and 9.1% spending 3 or more hours. Out of 22 total participants, 27.3% spend more time using their public account, while 72.7% prefer to use their private finsta account as the dominant account, meaning they are the most active when it comes to posting, interacting, and observing on said account. Furthermore, 81.8% of users regularly participate in the ‘close friends’ story feature on Instagram, including posting and watching other users’ stories. While only 18.2% claimed that they seldom or never use this feature.

Table 1. Users' motivations for following two or more accounts created by the same person

All participants responded unanimously with ‘yes’ when it came to whether or not they follow two or more accounts created by the same person (i.e. accounts for art, film, business, shop, spam etc). Using an open coding method, the data from the follow up open question (“If so, why?”) has been organised for preliminary analysis purposes. After meaningful interpretation of quotes by participants, their responses were individually coded. The data collected led to four dominant themes - friends, support, updates, and variety. 

Friends: 12 out of the 22 responses were labelled with ‘friends’. This indicates that most of the time when participants follow two or more accounts made by the same person, that said person is a friend or a close friend. This suggests that a large amount of motivation for content observation derives from the pre existing (close) friendship between users. For example, 

Support: 10 out of the 22 responses were labelled with ‘support’. This proposes that the act of following the accounts may not completely originate from a place of genuine or personal interest, but more so based on the desire to support and encourage an individual’s other ventures. For example,

Variety: 10 out of the 22 responses were labelled with ‘variety’. This highlights users’ interest in the differentiation of content an individual may post on separate accounts, either from the interest in the person themselves or the subject (art, music, business, etc). For example,

Updates: 5 out of the 22 responses were labelled with ‘updates’. This shows that users have the desire to gather the maximum amount of content from an individual, their aim is to stay current with the events and moments of their life. For example, 

Based on the findings above, it can be deduced that users’ motivations behind following several accounts by the same person are not mutually exclusive, as the majority of responses have been coded with two or more labels. Motivations behind engaging in self-presentation variation within a single platform (Huang and Vitak, 2022) are varied and cannot be defined in a compact category.

Figure 3. Linear scale data of how much participants agree with the statement.

The data collected also uncovered users’ thoughts on the following statement, “Social media is slowly reaching its peak and I firmly believe that within the next 5-10 years people will start valuing privacy again. Everyone's social media presence will slowly diminish”. The majority of participants resonated with the statement, within, 27.3% highly agreed. 18.2% remained neutral or had no opinions, and 27.2% disagreed. 

Conclusion

The future of Instagram still remains unknown. With the social media cycle and the projected maturity and decline of the app, users may choose to migrate to a different social media platform. This research shows that users’ motivations and reasons behind creating and using finsta accounts are nuanced, as many physiological, internal factors as well as societal, external factors come into play. This research has also provided useful insights when it comes to users’ attitudes on their own individual approaches when using Instagram, and how users’ each observe and understand other users’ activity differently. This information could potentially be useful when it comes to understanding the future of Instagram, especially in conjunction with Gen Z as the first generation to be born into the age of social media, its demographic changes and shifts in individual user behaviour. The app may choose to adapt to these changes to accommodate younger, newer audiences. At the same time, users may gravitate towards the progression of their peers or their own social media usage which would result in changes in their public and private social media presence.

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