Problematic Instagram use, social comparison orientation, physical and social self-esteem: An exploratory study

Introduction. - Even though Instagram use and popularity have been developed increasingly, many studies investigating have been carried out on problematic social networks use or problematic Facebook use. However, problematic Instagram use and underlying factors related to it are little known. Objective. - Based on the I-PACE model (Brand et al., 2016), the aim of this exploratory study is to assess problematic Instagram use and to examine the links between behavioural characteristics (number of hours spent on Instagram, of self-photos, of likes on posts and followers), social comparison orientation, physical and social self-esteem, and problematic Instagram use in a sample of young adults French university students from 20 to 26 years old. Method. - Sixty-six participants have completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires including the Instagram Addiction Scale (IAS), the physical appearance subscale of "Physical Self-Perception Profile" (SEISP), the "Social Self-Esteem Inventory" (IESS), and the Iowa -Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM). Results. - Thirty percent of participants have a problematic Instagram use. Correlational analysis revealed that behavioural characteristics and social comparison orientation are positively associated with problematic Instagram use, while physical and social self-esteem were negatively associated with it. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that social comparison orientation, physical self-esteem, number of hours spent on Instagram and number of followers were the most powerful predictors of problematic Instagram use. Conclusion. - Results provide a better understanding regarding to psychological factors linked to problematic Instagram use and allow to consider therapeutic and preventive interventions.(c) 2022 Societe Franc,aise de Psychologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.