Follow Me: Exploring the Effect of Personality and Stranger Connections on Instagram Use

Abstract

Recent research suggests that the relationship between personality and Facebook use is mediated by the need for belonging and self-presentation. It is uncertain, however, whether these relationships also hold for other social networking sites (SNSs), for example, Instagram. This image-sharing platform provides a unique opportunity for fulfilling belonging and self-presentation needs. The online survey was completed by 404 participants (80% female, age range 18-63 years, Median = 21 years). As hypothesised, personality (extraversion and agreeableness) predicted belonging behaviours (liking, commenting, and tagging others), and extraversion and neuroticism predicted self-presentation behaviours (likelihood of posting on particular days, and at specific times of day) on Instagram. Stranger connections moderated the relationship between agreeableness and commenting behaviours. Findings highlight the need to explore SNSs beyond Facebook and consider the role of audience and personality on SNS behaviours.