Title: Research on- “Addiction of Instagram Among Youngsters”
Authors:
1. Nasrin Pillai
2. Varun Aadarsh
3. Shreya Bapat
4. Akshat Anand
Introduction: From 2019 to 2021, the number of Instagram users worldwide grew by 383 million. There are currently over 2 billion monthly active Instagram users. This number makes Instagram the 4th most popular social media in world in terms of MAU’s. For most people, Instagram is a fun way to share and comment on photos and videos. However, some users particularly youngsters are spending too much time scrolling while neglecting other interests, schoolwork, relationships and their mental health and well-being. Using social media platforms like Instagram can lead to physical and psychological addiction because it triggers the brain’s reward system to release dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical. Many studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. This study focuses on finding why does youngsters finds Instagram so addictive that they cannot focus on their other interests which affecting their physical and mental health.
Objective: To get people’s view on “whether Instagram addiction is increasing among youngsters.”
Data Collection: A questionnaire was floated among youngsters of age group between 20-30 studying in ITM Business School, Kharghar to collect primary data pertaining to their addiction to Instagram. Convenience sampling method was used while collecting the responses on Likert scale.
https://forms.gle/dVUsKUPhhwGtrf9M6
The following questions were framed to collect the responses. On a Google form.
1. I like to pass time using it
2. I love the attention I receive from it.
3. I meet new people through Instagram.
4. I find new content every time.
5. It keeps me entertained.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5
Total 313 312 327 341 373
Mean 3.099009901 3.089108911 3.237623762 3.376237624 3.693069307
Standard Deviation 1.081711149 1.077951853 1.258161475 1.138872119 1.046351511
Standard Error 0.108171115 0.107795185 0.125816147 0.113887212 0.104635151
Z-Score for x 1.757391611 1.772705417 1.400755207 1.425763569 1.249035987
Data Analysis:
Conclusion:
From this research, we can conclude that most of the youngsters are addicted to Instagram because it keeps them entertained. About 37% of 101 respondents agree that they find new content every time they log in to Instagram. While 36% of the respondents agree that they meet new people through Instagram. Most of the respondents feel quite neutral about using Instagram for passing time. Only 9% of the respondents feel they love the attention they receive through Instagram while about 41% are quite neutral on whether they enjoy the attention or not. The consensus is quite neutral regarding the topic of addiction of Instagram and a deeper analysis would be required on this particular topic.