Chapter 1. Introduction.: 1.1 Development and Evolution

PRAHLADRAI DALMIA LIONS COLLEGE OF COMMERECE AND ECONOMICS
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.
Instagram is a social media app founded in San Francisco by Kevin

Systrom and Mike Krieger on 6 December, 2010. Instagram has become
one of the most popular social media platforms and has a massive user
base. As of April 2019, the social network had over 1 billion active
monthly users. This means the platform’s user base has simply gotten too
big for any brand or marketer to ignore. It has become an important social
media marketing platform crawling with influencers, brands, and
marketers. Facebook acquired Instagram in April, 2012. Instagram is an
entirely visual platform. Unlike Facebook, which relies on both text and
pictures, or Twitter, which relies on text alone, Instagram's sole purpose
is to enable users to share images or videos with their audience. It is
popular because many people like its global reach. It is a way to share
and connect. But for students, it is also a way to release the stress and
pressure they feel from all the school work they go through. Students can
post and be creative on Instagram. The best thing is that it is like a micro
blog in itself that comes with an excellent visual component which brings
in high engagement. Not only does it lets you showcase your incredible
photos or videos, but it also enables you to 'heart' or 'like' a picture and
comment on it.
1.1 DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION.
Originally launched for iOS in October 2010, Instagram rapidly gained

popularity, with one million registered users in two months, 10 million in
a year, and 1 billion as of June 2018. The Android version was released in
April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November
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AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTAGRAM USERS AND THEIR DEMOGRAPHY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION
2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October
2016. As of October 2015, over 40 billion photos had been uploaded.
Although praised for its influence, Instagram has been the subject of
criticism, most notably for the negative impact on teens' mental health,
policy and interface changes, allegations of censorship, and illegal or
improper content uploaded by users.
A couple of years later, in 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for over $1

billion, even with the risk that Instagram had no revenue coming in. The
app continued to build up in popularity and within just a few more
months the app reached 80 million users. At this point, it was clear that
this app wasn’t disappearing anytime soon. To help create revenue out of
Instagram, Facebook launched sponsored posts in 2013, to allow brands
to advertise on the platform and help bring in revenue for the app. These
sponsored posts can be created through Facebook’s Business Manager
System, which now has many different styles of campaigns available to
run. Prior to this, the only way to advertise on the platform was to do it
organically, which is a far less targeted method.
After a few more filter updates and general system style updates,
Instagram started to release in-app features and external apps to continue
developing the programme to keep up with competitors. For example,
Boomerang is one of their most popular external apps which is neither a
photo nor a gif. It’s a burst of photos, which are then compiled into a
short video clip that goes forward and back in reverse.
Within the app, they more recently launched Instagram Stories, where
you can add photos or video clips that only stay up for 24hrs, or you can
even stream live video. Not far different to what you can do on rival apps
like Snapchat.
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It was announced just towards the end of 2016 that Instagram had reached
over 600million users on its system. Making it one of the most popular
social media apps out there, for both personal and brand use.
In June 2015, the desktop website user interface was redesigned to

become more flat and minimalistic, but with more screen space for each
photo and to resemble the layout of Instagram's mobile
website. Furthermore, one row of pictures only has three instead of five
photos to match the mobile layout. The slideshow on the top of profile
pages, which simultaneously slide-showed seven picture tiles of pictures
posted by the user, alternating at different times in a random order, has
been removed. In addition, the formerly angular profile pictures became
circular. In April 2016, Instagram released a Windows 10 Mobile app,
after years of demand from Microsoft and the public to release an app for
the platform. The platform previously had a beta version of Instagram,
first released on November 21, 2013, for Windows Phone 8. The new app
added support for videos (viewing and creating posts or stories, and
viewing live streams), album posts and direct messages. Similarly, an app
for Windows 10 personal computers and tablets was released in October
2016. In May, Instagram updated its mobile website to allow users to
upload photos, and to add a "lightweight" version of the Explore tab. On
May 11, 2016, Instagram revamped its design, adding a black-and-
white flat design theme for the app's user interface, more abstract,
"modern" and colourful icon. On December 6, 2016, Instagram
introduced comment liking. However, unlike post likes, the user who
posted a comment does not receive notifications about comment likes in
their notification inbox. Up-loaders can optionally decide to deactivate
comments on a post.
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In October 2019, Instagram introduced a limit on the number of posts

visible in page scrolling mode unless logged in. Until this point, public
profiles had been available to all users, even when not logged in.
Following the change, after viewing a number of posts a pop-up requires
the user to log in to continue viewing content. In March 2020, Instagram
launched a new feature called "Co-Watching". The new feature allows
users to share posts with each other over video calls. According to
Instagram, they pushed forward the launch of Co-Watching in order to
meet the demand for virtually connecting with friends and family due
to social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August
2020, Instagram launched a new feature called "Reels". The feature is
similar to TikTok. Instagram also added suggested posts in August 2020.
After scrolling through posts from the past 48 hours, Instagram displays
posts related to their interests from accounts they do not follow. In
February 2021, Instagram began testing a new feature called Vertical
Stories, said by some sources to be inspired by TikTok. The same month,
they also began testing the removal of ability to share feed posts to
stories. In March 2021, Instagram launched a new feature in which four
people can go live at once. Instagram also announced that adults would
not be allowed to message teens that don't follow them as part of a series
of new child safety policies. In May 2021, Instagram began allowing
users in some regions to add pronouns to their profile page. On October
4, 2021, Facebook had its worst outage since 2008. The outage also
affected other platforms owned by Facebook, such as Instagram
and WhatsApp. Security experts identified the problem as possibly
being DNS-related.
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1.2 FEATURES
The various Instagram filters are as follows:
Filters
Instagram's photo filters are central to its success. Their ability to turn
anyone into a professional photographer is what drew people to the
platform in the first place. Each one of the 40 filters creates a different
look and feel so you can decide which one best represents your brand. If
you are marketing a business, you want your content to be consistent in
terms of brand image and style. This way, your followers will be able to
identify your content and get to know your signature look. One way to do
this is to manage your preferred filters by selecting the gear icon at the
end of the filter list. If more than one person manages the account, this
will make it easy to identify which filters you use regularly and make
sure everyone is on the same page.
Video posts
Long gone are the days that video marketing was only for companies with
big budgets. Anyone with a decent camera and basic know-how is now a
video marketer and an estimated 81% of businesses used video as a
marketing tool in 2018. In addition, “Engagement numbers for videos
posted to top media publisher accounts worldwide increased by 53% year
over year in May, surpassing the 46% growth rate seen for photos over
the same timeframe,” according to an eMarketer report. While video is
great for increasing engagement, it also gives you the ability to share
more complex, in-depth content that can’t be conveyed in one image or
series of Stories. Initially limited to 15 seconds, video posts today allow
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businesses to create long-form, high-production value videos of up to 1

minute long that leads to lots of engagement. You can also schedule
Instagram videos just like regular Instagram posts, mostly using third
party apps. According to Hubspot, 64% of consumers are more likely to
buy a product online after watching a video of it first. Instagram videos
that convey your brand message or introduce your company culture are a
great way to build trust with your followers and customers. Make sure to
make the first few seconds of your video captivating, so you can catch
people's interest before they click away. It's also a great way to educate
your audience about your business. Think of Buzzfeed's Tasty, which are
short videos showing users how to prepare delicious dishes. Many Tasty
videos have gone viral and have done wonders for Buzzfeed's brand
awareness. Or think of makeup tutorials with beauty bloggers, who build
a loyal following by giving users trustworthy beauty advice.
Instagram Stories
The addition of Stories has been huge for Instagram. The feature, which
was added in 2016, was initially thought to be a copy of Snapchat's
hugely successful model. But it has since skyrocketed in popularity (In
January 2019, it grew to more than 500 million daily users) and with
businesses increasingly looking for tools to increase engagement with
their brands without having to make massive investments in creative
content, Stories, with all its features included, are gold. Stories appear as
little circles in the top of your followers’ feeds and disappear after 24
hours, which makes it a fun and less stylized. For marketing purposes,
Stories are particularly useful to showcase new products or releases,
promotions, employees, workplace culture or team outings. A great way
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to encourage more people to follow you on Instagram is to offer Stories-

only giveaways and promotions. Here is a list of ways to use Instagram
Stories like an expert.
Stories Highlights
Instagram Stories are a great feature, but they disappear after 24 hours.
While the transience of Stories is what made them so successful, users
expressed a desire to keep some of their best stories for later use. So
Instagram created the Stories Highlights feature. This allows you to save
your best stories, and keep them on your account as long as you want.
Instagram saves your Stories Highlights at the top of your profile page so
you followers and anyone else who visits your Instagram profile is able to
see your them. There are various ways to use this feature for marketing
purposes. You can create stories with promotions, information about your
business or that showcase specific products or events. Stories with
quizzes are also great to educate followers about your brand and gather
information about their preferences.
Stickers and quizzes
Instagram Stories are becoming more polished and elaborate by the day
as it introduces new functions. One of the most popular used Stories tools
is stickers. From emoji sliders, to polls and GIFs, these added extras can
help you interact with your followers in innovative new ways, and
increase engagement. For example, hashtag stickers have the potential to
reach thousands of Instagram users in your region and/or your industry
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with similar interests. They can also help reiterate a brand message,
threading together a campaign. Location stickers can let Instagrammers
know where business is and question stickers are great for galvanizing
followers, and getting some insight into the things they're most interested
in. The latest addition to stickers is quiz stickers, which Instagram added
in April 2019.When a user interacts with one of your stories it sends a
signal to Instagram’s algorithm. This signal is then used to rank stories
higher in the user’s story carousel. The more engagement you get, the
higher your stories will rank. Getting your followers to not just view
content, but to also interact with it, is therefore key to reaching a greater
percentage of followers. Quiz stickers can also be used to help your
audience get to know you and your business. Asking questions
specifically related to your business can educate your followers, and help
you discover who your biggest fans are. While all these features
individually has great potential for marketing, using a combination of all
of them and making them work together will yield the best results for
your business or brand.
Instagram Stories video
Video in Instagram Stories can be highly entertaining, and is great for

building engagement, creating brand awareness and driving traffic to your
website. Videos on Instagram Stories only last 15 seconds, so your clips
need to be short and catchy. In 2018, Instagram introduced a workaround
for the short Stories video by allowing video to run over into the next clip
after 15 seconds. This opened the feature up for even more potential uses.
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Instagram Live
Instagram Live has been part of the Stories feature since its roll-out.
Initially received with some uncertainty about how to use this feature,
businesses and marketers have taken to it with great creativity to create
hype around their products. Because of its transient nature, there is a
sense of urgency among users to watch your live broadcast before it
disappears. You can use this to your advantage. Offer promotions,
discounts or giveaways during your live broadcast, but promote it with
short clips or posts beforehand so that your followers are compelled to
watch your broadcast. Instagram Live is also great for generating leads.
You can ask your followers to submit their questions about whatever
topic you'll be discussing during the live broadcast beforehand. The "Ask
me anything" sticker in Instagram Stories helps to easily gather questions,
viewer can then answer them live.
AR filters
AR is a technology that superimposes virtual effects (generated by a

computer) onto real images and video when using a camera. On
Instagram, these AR filters are known as face filters. They are whimsical,
cute overlays you can add to your photos and videos via Instagram
Stories. Facebook (the owner of Instagram) recently started partnering
with strategic brands to create unique, interactive camera experiences,
including face filters and world effects, for their followers on Instagram.
Where Instagram previously controlled all the AR filters, select brands
can now create their own custom AR filters for Instagram Stories.
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IGTV
The latest and arguably one of the most exciting additions to Instagram's
features is Instagram TV. Launched as Instagram’s first standalone video
platform, IGTV is an entire new channel for businesses to grow their
following, and increase their engagement. Before you can upload an
IGTV video to your feed, you need to create an IGTV channel. This is
easy enough and you just create an account with your Instagram account.
IGTV video will now be in the grid of your Instagram profile, with the
IGTV icon in the right-hand corner. While the sky truly is the limit for
what you can do with IGTV, in terms of marketing it's great for
promoting products, creating how product tutorials and for sharing news
– think of the type of video you seen on YouTube, videos don’t have to
be professionally shot and can be about anything. It's like an
improvement from your Instagram Stories, but it doesn’t have to be as
perfect or curated like an Instagram post or video would be. Instagram
offers analytics for your IGTV video and measures views, likes, and
comments, as well as your audience retention rate, which is how many
people watched your video all the way to the end. These metrics are
crucial when strategizing how to make use of IGTV so it's most effective
in terms of marketing.
Reels
In November 2019, Instagram had begun a new video feature known as

"Reels" in Brazil, expanding to France and Germany afterwards. It is
similar in functionality to the Chinese video-sharing service TikTok, with
a focus on allowing users to record short videos set to pre-existing sound
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clips from other posts. Users could make up to 15 (later 30) second
videos using this feature. Reels also integrates with existing Instagram
filters and editing tools. In July 2020, Instagram rolled out Reels to India
after TikTok was banned in the country. The following month, Reels
officially launched in 50 countries including the United States, Canada
and United Kingdom. Instagram has recently introduced a reel button on
home page. On June 17, 2021, Instagram launched full-screen
advertisements in Reels. The ads are similar to regular reels and can run
up to 30 seconds.
Instagram Direct
In December 2013, Instagram announced Instagram Direct, a feature that

lets users interact through private messaging. Users who follow each
other can send private messages with photos and videos, in contrast to the
public-only requirement that was previously in place. When users receive
a private message from someone they don't follow, the message is
marked as pending and the user must accept to see it. Users can send a
photo to a maximum of 15 people. The feature received a major update in
September 2015, adding conversation threading and making it possible
for users to share locations, hashtag pages, and profiles through private
messages directly from the news feed. Additionally, users can now reply
to private messages with text, emoji or by clicking on a heart icon. A
camera inside Direct lets users take a photo and send it to the recipient
without leaving the conversation. A new update in November 2016 let
users make their private messages "disappear" after being viewed by the
recipient, with the sender receiving a notification if the recipient takes a
screenshot. In April 2017, Instagram redesigned Direct to combine all
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private messages, both permanent and ephemeral, into the same message
threads.In May, Instagram made it possible to send website links in
messages, and also added support for sending photos in their original
portrait or landscape orientation without cropping. In April 2020, Direct
became accessible from the Instagram website, allowing users to send
direct messages from a web version using WebSocket technology. In
August 2020, Facebook started merging Instagram Direct into Facebook
Messenger. After the update the Instagram Direct icon transforms into
Facebook Messenger icon. In March 2021, a feature was added that
prevents adults from messaging users under 18 who do not follow them
as part of a series of new child safety policies.
Explore
In June 2012, Instagram introduced "Explore", a tab inside the app that
displays popular photos, photos taken at nearby locations, and
search. The tab was updated in June 2015 to feature trending tags and
places, curated content, and the ability to search for locations. In April
2016, Instagram added a "Videos You Might Like" channel to the
tab, followed by an "Events" channel in August, featuring videos from
concerts, sports games, and other live events, followed by the addition of
Instagram Stories in October. The tab was later expanded again in
November 2016 after Instagram Live launched to display an
algorithmically-curated page of the "best" Instagram Live videos
currently airing. In May 2017, Instagram once again updated the Explore
tab to promote public Stories content from nearby places.
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Hashtags
In January 2011, Instagram introduced hashtags to help users discover

both photos and each other Instagram encourages users to make tags both
specific and relevant, rather than tagging generic words like "photo", to
make photographs stand out and to attract like-minded Instagram users.
Users on Instagram have created "trends" through hashtags. The trends
deemed the most popular on the platform often highlight a specific day of
the week to post the material on. Example #MondayMotivation. In
December 2017, Instagram began to allow users to follow hashtags,
which display relevant highlights of the topic in their feeds.
This is how Instagram has evolved, from the feed to the arrival of Stories,
Live, IGTV, and Reels. Teens and creators drive trends on Instagram –
from Dalgona coffee and saree challenges to powerful social activism like
#ChallengeAccepted and #ShareWithPride to more niche trends like Urdu
poetry and memes, Instagram pushes culture forward. Right now, we’re
witnessing enormous shifts in how people create and consume culture as
tools that were only available to the most sophisticated media
organizations are now literally in the hands of billions.
1.3 INSTAGRAM DEMOGRAPHICS IN INDIA
As of October 2021, India was the leading country based on Instagram

audience size with more than 201 million users accessing the photo and
video sharing and editing app. The United States followed with over 157
million users. Brazil ranked third with almost 115 million Instagram
users, ahead of Indonesia with an audience of 94 million users, Instagram
was one of the most popular social networks worldwide,
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especially among young adults. The platform reported one billion

monthly active users in June 2018. Instagram is a popular platform for
users to share pictures and videos such as travel pictures, and to keep up
with favourite athletes and celebrities.
1.4 SENSITIVE CONTENT POLICY AND

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
In July 2021, Instagram introduced a feature that allowed its users to

choose content they wish to see on their Explore feeds. The 'sensitive
content control' setting was launched to reduce hate speech, bullying, and
harmful content on the platform.
What Instagram classifies as ‘sensitive’?
Instagram recognises three main categories of content that may impede

the platform’s “ability to foster a safe community”. This includes
graphically violent content like people fighting, sexually explicit or
suggestive media such as pictures of people in see-through clothing, and
content promoting the use of certain regulated products like tobacco,
adult services and drugs.
The photo-sharing platform further added that sensitive content can be

thought of as posts that don’t necessarily break the platform’s rules but
could be potentially upsetting to some people, such as posts that may be
sexually suggestive or violent.
Community is at the heart of Instagram and they are focussed on enabling

their expression for the next generation of young people and creators.
Reels, for instance, was launched as people shared their need to make and
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watch short-form entertaining videos but the app is also focussed on

keeping people safe and building new features that fight bullying,
improve equity and help people feel supported. Community Guidelines
are robust and help promote a safe online environment, for women,
children, and beyond. In light of instances of bullying and harassment on
Instagram last year, especially towards women who are creators and
public figures, we introduced new controls for creators to manage who
can message or add them to groups in Instagram Direct. We also have
comment moderation tools and interventions like comment warnings that
use AI to detect bullying language before it’s posted.
1.5 INSTAGRAM LITE
Earlier last year there was research conducted in India, to ascertain the
attractiveness and comprehension of new products, and one barrier that
was observed was the compromised internet experience, as a result of low
memory phones and heavy-sized apps. This set the context for the test of
Instagram Lite, and India is a primary test country for it.
The Instagram Lite app is created to bring the core Instagram experience
to people who do not have an Instagram experience today. The app is
made for Android and this new version has improved speed, performance,
and responsiveness. The experience is similar to the core Instagram app
experience, though there are some features that are not currently
supported such as Reels, Shopping, and IGTV. The app will be available
in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi,
Tamil, and Telugu. We don’t have the timing to share when the app will
be rolled out more broadly.
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People come to Instagram to connect with their friends and family but
stay on Instagram for their interests. Given India’s young demographic,
vibrant culture, and roots in open expression, app is focussed on fuelling
their passions, enabling their expression, and providing a safe and
supportive environment to do so.
1.6 INSTAGRAM AS A BUSINESS TOOL
Businesses are on Instagram because the platform drives business

outcomes. Instagram is the place where people express themselves
creatively, and there’s a natural affinity to interact with public figures,
creators, and brands. This is why 90% of people on Instagram follow a
business. The platform brings communities together in the moment,
offering further ways to shop online instead of in-store, and providing a
place to educate and entertain customers with interactive video
experiences. Branded content is thus a huge opportunity for brands who
can engage with the creator community, in a way that fulfills their
business objectives. Branded content ads help here, as it gives advertisers
the ability to promote creators' organic branded content posts as feed and
stories ads, thereby reaching new audiences and measuring impact. For
example, Hyundai Aura that launched with influencers and saw a 5 point
lift in awareness or a 2.3 point increase in purchase intent for Cadbury
Cocoa or Puma India doing fantastic creative execution at the awareness
stage. In October 2020, to further spur this interaction between creators
and brands, we launched ‘Love Runs Deep’, Instagram's first campaign in
India aimed at marketers and advertisers. It was done with the aim of
redefining the ecosystem and allowing stories to be told with greater
business impact. As part of the campaign, brands were invited to submit
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their briefs in the ‘Love Runs Deep challenge’, and 5 of them were
chosen to have exclusive access to 25 creators to work with them free of
cost, in addition, to support of USD25,000 worth of ad credits to run their
campaigns. The brands could have been from across India and from big
or small businesses. Most recently, Instagram also partnered with actress
Kareena Kapoor Khan, for her to engage with her thriving Instagram
community and to support small businesses in the country. The actress
was seen supporting an Ahmadabad-based small business, myBageecha,
and is encouraging others also to discover and support a small business of
their choice.
Instagram offers full-funnel solutions that help drive awareness, to

consideration, to purchase. There are four formats of ads on Instagram:
Feed ads, Stories Ads, Ads in Explore, and Branded content ads.
1. Feed ads – Leverage Instagram’s dynamic feed for placing photo

ads/ video ads/ Carousel ads/ Collection ads.
2. Stories Ads - 500 million Instagram accounts use Instagram Stories
every day. And businesses are seeing success with Stories ads for a
range of objectives. 1 in 3 of the most viewed Instagram Stories are
from businesses.
3. Ads in Explore - Explore is one of the best places for people to
discover, shop, and connect with people, businesses, and creators.
Advertisers can be part of what's culturally relevant and trending
while reaching new audiences who are looking to discover
something new.
4. Branded content ads – With this, advertisers have the ability to
promote creators' organic branded content posts as feed and stories
ads, thereby reaching new audiences and measuring impact.
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For Instagram, creators play a key part, as they epitomise the spirit of the
community with their creativity in visual storytelling and amazing social
video moments. We’re constantly working to create value for them by
educating them on our suite of products and best practices, enabling them
to best use our platform to engage millions of their fans, and empowering
them to build a strong and sustainable business model.
1.7 PROS AND CONS
PROS: Some of the advantages of Instagram are as follows:
Instagram is free to use: Instagram is free to use like other social

networks. Anyone can download, install and use Instagram on their
smartphone. I always say free has power and that’s why Instagram gain
popularity. It is the main advantage of using Instagram for your
personal and business purpose. It’s free so it reduces your initial cost of
business. You can use all features of Instagram freely so you can post,
follow, DM freely on Instagram.
Instagram is fastest growing social network: Instagram is fastest

growing social network that has grown widely in recent years. Instagram
reached 800 million monthly active users in 2017 while it has 500 million
active users daily. More than 52 million photos uploaded per day on
Instagram. Instagram has more than 60% users from outside the USA. If
you are looking to promote your business on Instagram then it is the wise
decision.
Best for Photo sharing: The main feature of Instagram is photo sharing.
A picture is worth a thousand words like that images convey more
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information than written words. Instagram is the best platform for photo
sharing so if you are photographer or graphics designer then Instagram is
the best choice for you. You can promote your brand or products visually
on Instagram.
Builds community: You can follow people on Instagram and people will
follow back you on Instagram. It is best for building an interactive
following community. You can comment and tag people in your
Instagram posts. Instagram has instant messaging feature too and it is
called as ‘Direct Message’. You can connect or contact your followers or
your followers can contact you via DM. It means Instagram is also best
choice to build your community and share your work with like-minded
people. You can also use hashtags in Instagram posts to boost your reach.
Now you can follow and unfollow hashtags on Instagram.
Security and privacy policy: Instagram has very useful security

and privacy policy and it is one of the most important advantages of
Instagram. Like other social networking sites, Instagram has also the age
limit for users. Persons over 13 years old can create an account on
Instagram or use Instagram.
User can keep Instagram profile private: While picking this choice
other users who need to see the photographs, videos or some other
component of the profile ought to send a follow-up demand to the user
with the private account. This user has the authority to accept or reject
such demand. In case of the user, violates terms and conditions or privacy
policy of Instagram can ban or block a user from posting on Instagram.
You have also option to block, unfollow and report people to Instagram.
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Best for visual marketing: Instagram is the best photo and short video
sharing platform. Nowadays visual marketing is latest in this era. Images
play a vital role in visual marketing and images being part of the business
marketing method. For each result of business, actually pictures was an
absolute necessity medium for visual advertising to make simple for
customer thought about the product and through Instagram, the merchant
should know how to give an extraordinary data as indicated by the
pictures rather than only a plain content of data.
Advantages of Instagram for students: Instagram also provides

educational benefits so here we are covering both advantages and
disadvantages of Instagram for students. If you are interested in
photography then Instagram is the best place to learn and improve your
photography skills. Some students started learning photo editing tools due
to Instagram.
Instagram improves language skill: Students use Instagram to share

opinions and views on different topics. Students also can take part in the
group discussion on Instagram by taking part in a group activity
where here each student asks the others to comment on a photo or video.
Thus students can improve their language skill using Instagram. Students
can share knowledge on Instagram. Students can share knowledge via
multimedia or students can do two-way communications using DM.
Nowadays Instagram has a poll option so students can use a poll option to
discuss different topics with other students. these are the advantages of
Instagram for students.
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CONS: Instagram has a lot of advantages but it also has some

disadvantages too, some disadvantages of Instagram are as follows:
Mobile friendly design: Instagram was created for mobile use

only. The Instagram design is more suitable for mobile phones and
tablets. Instagram has a desktop version too but it has limited features as
compared to a mobile version of Instagram. It means to use Instagram
you have at least Smartphone.
Addictive: Like other social networking sites Instagram is also addictive.

Once you get addictive on Instagram it will cost you a lot. It will
consume your valuable time.
Rely on images: Instagram depends on images. If your images are

attractive then you will get more Instagram likes, comments, and
followers. If the photos are not attractive enough, then the account will
not have as many followers and if your business is virtual then your
business will fail.
Image stealing problem: Your followers can easily view and access
your Instagram images. You can’t keep every image private so other
users can easily steal your images. It means if you have quality and
professional images there is always a fear of someone stealing your
images.
Image Privacy: Image privacy is another disadvantage of Instagram.

You can’t set the privacy of each photo differently. They are all either
private or public.
Advertising Issue: Numerous stores depend on Instagram to promote

their items and services. In some cases, these accounts turn to false
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advertising to draw in clients. This can produce doubt with respect to the
clients. It means Instagram has false advertising and it is also one
disadvantage of Instagram.
Disadvantages of Instagram for students: As mentioned earlier,

Instagram is addictive and it will consume your time. If you are a student
and you are the heavy user of Instagram it will waste your valuable time.
For students time is money so use Instagram with caution. Some students
left their studies and destroy their career to become the influence on
Instagram. Students must stay away from this because they can become
Instagram influencer at any time after completing their study.
Social, Psychological and Behavioural Problems: Over usage or high

activity rate can result in social, psychological and behavioural problems
such as Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Addiction, Problem of Satisfaction
with Appearance, False self- presentation, Body Image Problems,
Loneliness, Social exclusion, Problem of Well Being, Life Satisfaction
Problem, Alcohol and Drug abuse, Fear of Missing Out, Eating
Disorders, Blackmailing, Suicide and Self-harm, etc.
22
CHAPTER 2. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF

INSTAGRAM WITH OTHER SOCIAL
NETWORKING SITES
1. INSTAGRAM V/S PINTEREST
Instagram’s popularity has grown ever since it first debuted in 2010. With
more than 500 million users, it is currently the second most popular social
media platform in the world, and marketers have fallen in love with this
platform. In fact, the number of marketers has doubled over the past 6
months on Instagram.
As compared to all other social media platforms, Instagram has

consistently proven itself to be a better choice. Once we compare
Instagram to other social media platform, we get a clear cut idea on how
much to invest and promote our brand on each platform respectively.
Pinterest is a social network with photo-centric virtual pinboards, but

lately it has added new video features that attract businesses and creators
alike.
Newer shopping features like current pricing, links to retailers' websites,

pins for retailers' entire catalogues, and automated product
recommendations seem like a reflection of Instagram.
The question arises whether businesses should pay more attention to

Pinterest than Instagram?
23
Before we dive into the comparison of statistics, let us first know what
Pinterest is all about.
Though Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat dominate the

conversations on social networks, when it comes to product searches and
shopping, Pinterest nails the leadership board.
This is mainly because Pinterest encourages its users to share photos of

products rather than personal images or comments on latest news.
Pinterest also allows you to build boards based on personal lists like
‘designer dresses’, ‘dream wedding’ or even ‘aesthetic craft’. This makes
it ideal for the retailers to launch their products.
That’s why Pinterest allows retailers to upload their entire catalogue, and
have added Pinterest-like feeds on their own homepages.
Here are some of the facts that you’ll find interesting about Pinterest:
 Pinterest has 291 million monthly active users.

 Pinterest added more US users in 2017-2018 than Facebook and
Twitter combined.
 Pinterest drives 33% more traffic to shopping sites than Facebook.
 50% of new Pinterest sign-ups in 2018 were men.
 80% of new Pinterest sign-ups in 2017-2018 were from outside the
US.
 98% of Pinner tries out the ideas they discover on the platform.
 Two-thirds of Pinterest pins represent brands and products.
 Advertising on Pinterest earns a $2 profit for every $1 spent.
Pinterest can be quite profitable if used well. It connects businesses and

customers in a more meaningful manner. Most of the times, people are
24
using Pinterest for reference, while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store.

Instagram started off as a social media platform to share filtered photos,
whereas Pinterest lets users pin their favourite photos of products to
interest boards. But, both the networks evolve as ‘shopping platform’ as
brands can post their products on Instagram or pin them on Pinterest.
These ads are generating the main revenue.
In fact, Instagram avails the option of sharing shop-able post and in-app
checkout feature, yet only 10% users use the app to find products whereas
it is 46% on Pinterest.
It is observed that Pinterest could soon be a threat to Instagram!
But Instagram has it all planned:
 Instagram has a younger and wider crowd as compared to Pinterest.

 Instagram launched private ‘collections’ 2 years back, where you
can save individual posts. This resembles to Pinterest’s feature, and
this is how it aims to gain more product searches. Too add to
it, TechCrunch also claims that Instagram might soon introduce
public collections too that might be a clone of Pinterest’s
pinboards.
 When it comes to social media influencers, there are around 78%
of them on Instagram, whereas hardly 1% on Pinterest.
Thus, even though brands can promote themselves well on Pinterest,

getting endorsements from accounts with thousands of followers might be
a task.
25
2. INSTAGRAM V/S FACEBOOK
Instagram and Facebook, both are strong and popular platforms, which
you could consider for advertising.
Let us see what each platform has to offer -
Earlier, we could view the posts in order, according to the time they were
published; whereas now, the accounts that you actually like are pushed to
be on the top, as compared to the posts from your weird schoolmate that
you don’t wish to see.
1. Reach:
Facebook is the leading platform with 2.2 billion active monthly users,
whilst Instagram stands on the third position with 1 billion users, out of
which 1 million are advertisers
2. Engagement:
According to Facebook’s new algorithms, a particular post is ranked on

the basis of:
 No. of likes, comments, and shares on the post.

 Posts from family members are seen first.
 Posts that are likely to start a conversation are ranked higher.
 Visual posts over only-text.
Posts trying to push people into buying a product/service are demoted.

Also, Facebook checks text against known advertisements and demotes
unofficial ads.
26
On the other hand, Instagram beats Facebook with the highest number of
engaged users. In a day, overall posts yield around 4.2 billion likes.
Although, recent news says that engagement has reduced on Instagram, it
still stands above other social media.
Posts on Instagram are based on:
 No. of hearts and comments on each post.

 How relevant is the post to the user.
 Posts from accounts that the user has previously interacted with
and searched for are ranked higher.
 Time spent by the user on a post.
 Recent posts are ranked higher.
3. Audience Demographics:
It is always important to know your audience, as it helps to understand

targeting better. As we all know, Instagram is a “young” generation-
centric platform, and has the main audience aging from 17-34 years (both
men and women). Whereas Facebook on the other hand is used mostly by
middle-aged adults (25-34 years-mostly men)
4. Mobile-friendliness
For sure that all of us must have used Facebook and Instagram via phone
as well as a desktop or laptop. Facebook is easily operated via both,
mobile phones and laptops. You can check activities and also use
messenger with complete ease on all devices.
27
When it comes to Instagram, it is a mobile-first platform. . It is difficult to

upload pictures, choose filters from the web version. In fact, web
Instagram does not allow you to view your DMs and Instagram stories.
Instagram’s sole purpose is to share moments & experiences of your lives
instantly. Therefore, they made the bet early on to be a mobile-first
experience. Thus, when we want to do some advertising and marketing
on Facebook, it doesn’t matter what device you use and how you access
the platform. Although, research shows that 95.1% of active user
accounts access Facebook via Smartphone, 31.8% via laptop and desktop,
and only 8.8% via tablets. That means, if you want to launch your social
media campaign on Facebook, you should optimize your content for
mobile usage. As far as Instagram is concerned, hardly anybody accesses
the platform via laptops and PCs. Most access it either via Smartphone or
tablet. So, you have no other choice but to make all your posts and/or ads
mobile-friendly.
5. Types of Ads:
Facebook offers 11 types of ads that you can choose from:
 Video Ads: Recommended videos up to 15 seconds with subtitles.

 Image Ads: An attractive image accompanied by a persuasive
message.
 Collection Ads: A cover image or video followed by a few product
photos.
 Carousel Ads: Users can showcase up to 10 images (or videos) in a
single ad, each with its own link.
 Slideshow Ads: Video-like ads, which use motion, sound and text
to tell your story.
28
 Facebook Instant Experiences/Canvas Ads: Mobile-optimized ads

that show all your videos, photos, carousels and product images in a
single ad.
 Lead Generation Ads: Capture user’s information
 Offer Ads: Allows creating and extending timely discounts and
promotions to your target audience.
 Post Engagement Ads/Boosted Posts: Help you share information
about your business with users.
 Event Response Ads: Help you to promote events.
 Page Likes: Can be used to drive your audience to Like your
Facebook Page.
Although there are a variety of ads to choose from, engagement on

Facebook remains low as compared to Instagram.
In spite of having greater engagement, Instagram offers only 4 types of

ads:
 Photo Ads: Allow you to showcase your products through images.

 Video Ads: Can be up to 60 seconds.
 Carousel Ads: Users can swipe through up to 10 images or videos,
each with a CTA button that connects them to your website.
 Stories Ads: Full-screen ads in which you can share photos and videos
with your audience.
6. Costs:
Let’s be honest, every social media campaign is expensive, no matter

what platform it is in. Here are a few tips on how to effectively make use
of the campaigns at the same time not go bankrupt:
29
 Spend your money on those ads that best fit your strategy (don’t invest
in all of them).
 Make sure each and every ad you create has a purpose (don’t give too
much for free).
 Treat social media advertising as an investment, not a cost, and expect a
return.
 Target the right audience and narrow it down.
 Remember, just like every compelling blog post of yours should be
accompanied by a link to your site in your author bio, and a CTA, so
should your ads. It’ll increase your traffic and sales.
 Make good use of the hashtags.
 Invest in quality, not quantity. Awe your audience with videos, images
and pictures of products.
Also if possible, hire a professional who has thorough knowledge in the

field and guides you through it.
Which platform is more suitable for marketing?
The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking for. Benefits
of Facebook and Instagram are highly subjective. Before you make your
decision, here are a few practices you can adopt:
1. Don’t abandon Facebook completely.
With Facebook’s great reach and visibility, it is a great platform for

marketers. Not only does it have a large base, there is also acceptance
among various groups of all ages. This is especially beneficial when you
want to advertise for a large age group, and not a specific one.
30
Unlike Instagram where you can share only one link on the feed, and
none in the caption, Facebook allows you to share unlimited links to your
blogs, product pages, etc. This is a plus point if you wish to share
informational posts and promote your blogs or purchase links.
2. Use Instagram for better engagement and younger audience.
As earlier said, Instagram outperforms Facebook when it comes to

engagement, and it is more appealing to a “younger” audience. So if your
product satisfies both the above needs, you know where to invest heavily.
3. INSTAGRAM V/S SNAPCHAT
Instagram and Snapchat fall in a similar category with a ton of

overlapping features. Instagram has around 500 million daily users,
whereas Snapchat has only 191 million users. In India, there are around
71 million monthly active users on Instagram, while only 10.95% of the
over all users on Snapchat. Both are competing for victory, or at least the
chance to be the go-to platform for your marketing plan.
To make the blurry line between the two platforms clearer, here are few
differences to know them better!
1. Stories
Almost 3 years ago, Instagram introduced Snapchat’s one of the key

features to its own platform- Stories. At first, it did not receive much
response, as people were habituated to use Snapchat, but later the
statistics bars rose higher, leaving Snapchat behind.
31
Instagram stories are more convenient and reach higher visibility as it is

the first thing a person sees after opening the app. In addition to this
advantage, Instagram also has more exciting stickers, polls, “ask me a
question”, and many such quiz options.
Snapchat on the other hand, has less attention when it comes to brands
and is dominated by an even younger audience than Instagram. This
makes it easier for marketers to reach their audience.
E.g. - Bumble is making the most out of its marketing on Snapchat.
The down-side of Snapchat stories is that even though a sponsored ad is

sent personally to someone on chat, it disappears after 24 hours; whereas
on Instagram, marketers can add that story to their highlights and it can
be viewed any time after 24 hours too!
2. Ease of use
Instagram has the same layout since years, with minute changes here and
there. This makes the user feel comfortable and adapt to small changes
slowly and easily. On the contrary, Snapchat has changed its layout
numerous times, that confuses the users and creates a feeling of distress.
Also, with Instagram it is easy to locate or find a brand with Snapchat
none of this is possible.
3. Discoverability
On Instagram, when posts and stories from the followings are viewed, the
“explore” option makes the users spend more time on the app.
On Snapchat, there is very little opportunity for the same. The closest
thing you’ll find is the “For You” section, which contains content from
32
celebrities and companies like Now This and ESPN. That doesn’t mean
you can’t or shouldn’t advertise on Snapchat.
Snapchat offers your business the unique opportunity to create geo filters
that are location specific—meaning you can create a custom Snapchat
filter people can use when they’re at an event you sponsor, or in other
situations where someone might be inspired to send a snap from your
locale. Users also sponsor lenses, which allow users to modify their own
images by changing their eyes, mouth, or hair for example. This feature
comes at a hefty cost, however, and is likely to appeal more to the larger
brands.
4. INSTAGRAM V/S TWITTER
Twitter was one of the most dominant platforms for all marketers, until
recent years with Instagram coming into play. Although Twitter is
popular, it isn’t dominant like before.
Twitter has an overall of 250 million users worldwide, and Instagram, a

billion.
1. Engagement
Although Instagram has more users as compared to Twitter, the total

number of Tweets (500 million a day) is greater than the number posts
uploaded on Instagram (95 million a day).
Re-tweeting (reposting) is another advantage that Instagram does not

have. Though now with the “repost app”, you can reshare content to your
33
personal feed. The native re-tweet is easier and faster than opening up a
3rd party app to repost.
2. Audience
When it comes to audience demographics, similarities can be observed on

both the platforms!
3. Advertising
There are tons of advertising options when it comes to Instagram and

Twitter. On Instagram, you can monetize posts, stories, and IGTV videos,
while on Twitter, you can only use posts in different formats to promote
your products or services.
Instagram now offers direct shopping features that brands use to link to
their products and online stores. Twitter does not offer a “Shop Now”
feature, aside from sponsored tweets that link to product websites.
4. Functionality
Compared to Twitter, Instagram keeps you within the app. Its value
comes from inside the app and highlights the contents that users share.
In a nutshell, Twitter is excellent for content distribution. Twitter offers

customer interaction for your business. After all, this social network is all
about conversations which is the reason why a lot of brands prefer it for
customer services. Consumers love using Twitter for feedback and
support, and people are not afraid to voice out their opinions of
companies in their Twitter accounts, good or bad.
On the other hand, on Instagram companies do not actively monitor their

accounts on Instagram as they do on Twitter. In fact, most businesses use
34
Twitter for support. You can directly interact with customers here. It’s
also one of the reasons why Twitter is one of the top social media
platforms today.
Even though Instagram and Twitter have a similar audience and

demographic, they have entirely different uses in your social media
marketing strategy. Instagram is a site to publish original content and
build your brand awareness. Twitter is an excellent tool to curate and
share content, as well as engages and interacts with your target audience.
(Chapter 2: Article published by Dhrumi Salva, Oct 1, 2019.

Source: blog.synclarity.in.cdn.ampproject.erg
35
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
PROBLEM/ NEED OF THE STUDY
Instagram is the widely used social media app from last years, people are
actively engaged posting and sharing every steps of their life on the
platform, apart from this the app is most widely used tool for marketing
and promoting Business, Service, Ideas and even People. In today’s era
for almost of the population life without Instagram is like food without
salt and spices. The need of the study arises to know the impact of
Instagram on the decision, lifestyle and behaviour of the users.
OBJECTIVES
1. To study and analyse the demographics of the Instagram users in

Mumbai metropolitan region.
2. To analyse the perception of Instagram users towards the impact of
it on their lifestyle, behaviour and decisions.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Through the study an attempt is made to study and analyse the relation
between activity rate and the impact of Instagram on the lifestyle,
behaviour and decision of the users in Mumbai metropolitan region.
36
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
1. The limitations of the present study is that the sample size is only
100 respondents and area of the study is Mumbai metropolitan
region only.
2. The limited information in the secondary data is a fundamental
obstacle for review of literature.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study will highlight the impact of the Instagram on the Lifestyle,
Behaviour and Decisions of the users. It will also contribute to identify
how users react to the various marketing tactics which will help the
Business to make use of such behaviour in best possible manner.
SAMPLE SIZE
A sample size of 100 respondents (Instagram users) is used for the

research study.
DATA COLLECTION
Primary and Secondary method of data collection is used.
Primary data is collected from the respondents; here structured

questionnaire is used to collect primary data through surveys.
37
Secondary data has been collected from internet, books, magazines as

well as newspaper, it is essentially required in order to successfully
complete the project report qualitatively.
TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS USED
In order to conclude the study, the analysis is carried out and

interpretation is done through Tables, Percentages, Bar Graphs and
Charts.
38
CHAPTER 4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1. Statista Research Department, Nov 17, 2021; as of October, 2021,

it was found that 17.9 percent of global active Instagram users were
between the ages of 18 and 24 years. More than half of the global
Instagram population worldwide is aged 34 years or younger. Analysis
also showed that 35 percent of teenagers with low social- emotional well-
being reported to have experimented cyber- bullying when using the
social media.
2. Statista Research Department, June 4, 2021, Instagram is a photo

sharing social networking app that enables users to take pictures and edit
them with a selection of digital filters. Its forecast from October, 2020,
estimates that there would be nearly 1.2 billion Instagram users
worldwide in 2023. With over 120 million active Instagram users, The
United States are the photo sharing apps leading market based on
audience size.
3. NapoleonCat.com, focusing in Instagram Users in India, January

2020, there were 80590000 Instagram users in India in January 2020
which accounted for 5.7% of its entire population. The majority of them
were men 72.7%. People aged 18 to 24 were the largest user group
(38700000). The highest difference between men and women occurs
within people aged 18 to 24, where men lead by 19300000.
4. Dhrumi Salva (Article published on 1 October, 2019 on

blog_synclatity.in.cdn.ampproject.erg) Instagram's Popularity has grown
ever since it first debuted in 2010. With more than 500 million users, it is
currently the second most popular social media platform in the world, and
marketers have fallen for this platform, Infact, the numbers of marketers
39
has doubled over the past 6 months on Instagram. As compared to all

other Social Media platforms, Instagram had consistently proven itself to
be a better choice. On comparison of Instagram with other social media
platforms we get a clear cut idea on how much to invest and promote our
brand on each platform respectively.
5. Pragati (Article published on 22 November, 2021 on Instagram

Stats), there are 69 million people on Instagram in India as of November,
2018. People between the ages of 18-24 are the largest age groups for
Instagram, which shoes that it really is a platform for young consumers -
if you want to reach your younger audiences, Instagram is your go-to
tool. There is over a 5.6% growth for Instagram reach every quarter.
Instagram is the 8th most used mobile app in India as per Hootsuite's
Annual Report. India has the 3rd largest number of fake followers on
Instagram after the US and Brazil, which is the dark side of Instagram.
6. The UK’s Royal Society for Public Health surveyed 1,500 teens
and young adults about their social media habits. They found that
Instagram and other social networks are associated with high levels of
anxiety, depression, bullying and a “fear of missing out (FOMO).” They
can also foster a negative body image and poor sleep habits.
7. Rachel Rodgers, associate professor of applied psychology at North-

eastern, the effect may have as much to do with the mechanics of the app
itself as with its audience. The highly visual nature of social media
platforms favoured by younger people—TikTok, Snapchat, and
Instagram—put a social premium on appearance, says Rodgers, who
studies socio cultural influences on body image and eating concerns. At
the same time, the adolescents drawn to them are still developing their
sense of identity.
40
8. Wikipedia, states- over usage or high activity rate can result in social,
psychological and behavioural problems such as Depression, Anxiety,
Stress, Addiction, Problem of Satisfaction with Appearance, False self-
presentation, Body Image Problems, Loneliness, Social exclusion,
Problem of Well Being, Life Satisfaction Problem, Alcohol and Drug
abuse, Fear of Missing Out, Eating Disorders, Blackmailing, Suicide and
Self-harm, etc.
9. Facebook who has kept internal research secret for two years that
suggests its Instagram app makes body image issues worse for teenage
girls, according to a leak from the tech firm. Since 2019, staff at the
company have been studying the impact of their product on its younger
users’ states of mind. Their research has repeatedly found it is harmful for
a large proportion, and particularly teen-age girls.“We make body image
issues worse for one in three teen girls,” said a slide from one internal
presentation in 2019, seen by the Wall Street Journal. “Thirty-two per
cent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies,
Instagram made them feel worse,” a subsequent presentation reported in
March 2020.
10. Syd Kavanagh from Quora, With its 700 million users, Instagram is
starting to overcome Facebook as the most popular social media/social
networking site. With its rapid rise to popularity, there have been many
questions raised about whether Instagram has more negative or positive
effects on its young users. All Instagram’s users use the app differently
and can therefore experience different effects through the app however
the negative effects experienced seem more impactful than the positive
effects. Studies have shown that 46% of youth state that social media
sites such as Instagram empowers them to speak upon issues that are
41
important to them. This is one of the positive effects social media has on
youth. As a teen, it is very important to be able to express yourself and
speak up for what you believe in and Instagram allows just that. When
youth take to Instagram they are free to advocate their right to openly
discuss and speak out about issues that are important to them. For
example, a young female can openly post photos or stories relating to
feminism and women’s empowerment if that’s something they strongly
support and stand by. Another positive effect Instagram has on its users is
in regards to connectivity. Social media sites such as Instagram have been
proven to make youth feel more connected to their peers. On Instagram,
youth often post pictures, videos, stories, etc. of what they are up to and
allows for people to like and comment on these types of posts. This
allows youth to constantly stay updated and connected to their peers
which helps foster a sense of belonging and community. The negative
effects caused by Instagram appear to be much more impactful on youth
than the positive effects. To start, recent studies have shown that
Instagram has the most negative effect on youth’s mental health,
specifically for girls. The images posted on Instagram are often
“unrealistic largely curated, filtered and Photo shopped versions of
reality”. When girls take to Instagram and see these photos, they begin to
compare themselves to those they see on their screen and begin to feel as
though their bodies are not good enough. This is very harmful as they fail
to realize the intense manipulation of these photos and strive to fit this
distorted version of reality. In the process of doing so, young girls are
very negatively affected as they often develop mental health issues such
as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc. Furthermore, studies have
shown that over half of teens using Instagram have been cyber bullied.
Even though Instagram has implemented a “report” feature for
42
inappropriate comments, kids are still heavily bullied “over Instagram

stories, in the comment sections of their own photos, or over direct
messages.” This destroys the sense community and belonging that youth
take to Instagram to develop as it promotes feelings of anxiety,
depression, and alienation.
11. Robyn Treyvaud, writer of The Positive Effects of Social Media on

Teenagers, states that “68% of teenagers claim that social media provides
them with support during difficult times. 46% of teenage girls agree that
social media empowers them to speak out about the things they care
about. 83% of teenagers say that social media makes them feel more
connected to their friends” (The Positive Effects Of Social Media On
Teenagers). Instagram is very popular amongst youth for purposes such
as social communication and networking, by creating a sense of
connectivity and friendship through allowing adolescents to easily share
what they’re doing. Whether that be through Instagram stories and
posting pictures and videos. For example, they can even post live videos
of themselves at concerts, which can be entertaining, a more
interconnected experience for them and their peers. Instagram is also a
platform for people to express themselves in ways they cannot in person,
or find is too personal for face-to-face communication. Thus, Instagram
fosters an environment of belonging by those that use it as a way to find
new friends and connect with people with the same interests and hobbies
as them. Further, making them feel a part of something, especially if they
don’t have that in reality. The positive effects of Instagram help create a
more interconnected society amongst youth.
12. Amy Cole, Instagram’s head of business development, tells

Marketing Week: “Brands tell their story in the same way an individual
43
person does, so it creates a direct relationship and levels the playing field
for small and big businesses.” With the introduction of shoppable
Instagram, or Shopify, businesses will now be able to link directly to their
products in their posts. These “shoppable posts” allow users to click-
through these links straight to the website. At the time of research,
600,000 businesses were reported as using Shopify, and more than $63
billion (£48 billion) worth of products has been sold through the
platform.
13. Socialpilot.co, More than 1.15 billion people actively use Instagram
every month. 90% of all users on Instagram follow at least one business
account. 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services on
the platform. 50% of Instagram users are more interested in a brand when
they see ads on Instagram. 59% of micro-influencers believe that they get
the best engagement on Instagram.
14. Exchangeformedia.com, India is an important country for Instagram

and has been a testing ground for innovation, thanks to the natural
creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we see here. India was one of the first
countries where we tested and launched Reels and then Live Rooms. It is
the first country where a consumer marketing campaign went live for
Reels and one of the first again, where Instagram Lite began testing,
before the global rollout. Public figures show up most authentically and
young people express themselves freely on Instagram, driving trends that
go mainstream. The community uses the platform to connect back with
traditions, be it yoga or vintage jewelry, and start new ones like ‘freak
shakes’ and IPL. This pursuit of passions on the platform has also acted
as a springboard for successes for large and small businesses, from
Samsung to Swiggy. Businesses too, more and more, make Instagram
44
central to their consumer connect - whether it is through presence, creator

engagement, or ads. Creators and businesses at the forefront of pushing
culture and creativity forward on the app in India. This enables brands to
express and connect authentically with the right audiences. Brands now
make use of Instagram surfaces and ad tools to drive business.
15. Vision-advertising.com, Instagram has helped many successful

businesses in a wide range of industries and markets. Businesses should
be incorporating mobile marketing into their overall marketing strategy if
they want to increase their presence, which can lead to the goal of
increased revenue. Instagram provides you with a tool that allows you to
enhance your niche in your own unique and creative way.
45
CHAPTER 55.. DATA ANALYSIS,

INTERPRETATION AND REP
REPRESENTATION
RESENTATION
1. SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ECONOMIC BACKGROUND.
1.1 AGE WISE DISTRIBUTION
Table No. 1 age wise distribution

05 – 11- 16 - 21- 26- 31 and
Age 10 15 20 25 30 above
Percentage 4 8 10 66 3 9
Source: Compiled ffrom Primary data.
Graph No.
o. 1 age wise distribution
70 66
60
50
40
30
20
8 10 9
10 4 3
0
05. - 10. 11. - 15. 16 - 20 21- 25 26-30 31 and above
Table No. 1 and Graph No. 1 showed that 4% respondents were of age
group 5 – 10, 8% were 11 – 15, 10% were 16 – 20, 66% were 21 – 25,
3% were 26 – 30 and 9% were 31 and above.
It can be interpreted that most of the us

users
ers are of age group 21 – 25.
46
AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTAGRAM USER
USERS AND THEIR DEMOGRAPHY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
1.2 GENDER WISE DISTRIBUTION
Table No. 2 gender wise distribution

Gender Percentage
Male 46
Female 54
Others 0
Graph No. 2 gender wise distribution

60
54
50 46
40
30
20
10
0
0
MALE FEMALE OTHERS
Table No. 2 and Graph No. 2 showed that majority of the respondents
were Female
emale i.e. 54% and 46% respondents were Male.
It can be interpreted that most

ost of the Instagram users are Female
F as
compared to Males
Males.
47
1.3 FAMILY INCOME WISE DISTRIBUTION
Table No. 3 family income wise distribution

Family Income Percentage
Less Than 25000 37
25000 – 40000 23
40000 – 60000 15
60000 and above 25
Graph No. 3 family income wise distribution

40 37
35
30
25
25 23
20
15
15
10
0
less than 25000 25000 - 40000 40000 - 60000 60000 And above
Table No. 3 and Graph No. 3 showed that 37% of the respondents has
monthly family income less than 25000, 23% has between 25000 –
40000, 15% has between 40000 – 60000 and 25% has above 60000.
48
1.4 AREA WISE DISTRIBUTION
Table No. 4 area wise distribution

Area Percentage
Urban 68
Semi- Urban 19
Rural 13
Graph No. 4 area wise distribution

80
68
70
60
50
40
30
19
20 13
10
0
URBAN SEMI- URBAN RURAL
Table No. 4 and Graph No. 4 showed that 68% respondents live in Urban
area, 19% live in Semi – Urban area and 13% live in Rural Area.
It can be interpreted that people of Urban Area are more engaged in using
the Instagram, this can be in connection with the fact that more internet
penetration in Urban Area.
49
1.5 OCCUPATION WISE DISTRIBU

DISTRIBUTION
Table No. 5 occupation wise distribution

Occupation Percentage
Student 69
Service 21
Self Employed 8
Retired 0
Unemployed 2
Graph No. 5 occupation wise distribution

80
69
70
60
50
40
30
21
20
8
10
0 2
0
STUDENT SERVICE SELF RETIRED UNEMPLOYED
EMPLOYED
Table No. 5 and Graph No. 5 showed that 69% of the respondents are
Students, 21% are engaged in Service, 8% are Self – Employed, 2% are
Unemployed and no respondents are Retired.
It can be interpreted that most of the Instagram users are Students,

followed by people engaged in Service followed by Self – Employed
people.
50
2. GENERAL QUESTIONS
2.1 YEARS OF USING INSTAGRAM
Table No. 6 years of using Instagram

Time Percentage
Less Than 1 Year 21
Less Than 2 Or 3 Years 40
Graph No. 6 years of using Instagram

45
40
40
35
29
30
25
21
20
15
10
10
5
0
less than 1 year less than 2 or 3 Years less than 4 or 5 Years less than 6 or 7 years
Source:
rce: Compiled ffrom Primary data.
Table No. 6 and Graph No. 6 showed that 21% of the users are using
Instagram from less than one year, 40% are using less from than 2 or 3
years, 29% are using from less than 4 or 5 years and 10% are using from
less than 6 or 7 years.
It can be interpreted
erpreted that most of the population started using Instagram
from last 2 or 3 years i.e. in year 2019 or 2018.
51
2.2 REASONS FOR USING INSTAGRAM
Table No. 7 reasons for using Instagram

Reasons Percentage
Social Interaction 82
News 48
Education 53
Business 24
Sports 36
Shopping 22
Fashion 1
Entertainment 4
Graph No. 7 reasons for using Instagram

90 82
80
70
60 53
48
50
40 36
30 24 22
20
10 1 4
0
Table No. 7 and Graph No. 7 shows the multiple reasons for using
Instagram. It showed 82% people use Instagram for Social Interaction,
48% use for News, 53% use for Education, 24% use for Business, 36%
use for Sports, 22%
2% use for Shopping, 1% for Fashion and 4% for
Entertainment.
52
2.3 AGE WHEN STATED USING INSTAGRAM
Table No. 8 age when stated using Instagram

05 - 11- 16 - 21- 26- 31 and
Age 10 15 20 25 30 above
Percentage 5 10 59 18 3 5
Table No. 8 age when stated using Instagram

70
59
60
50
40
30
18
20
10
10 5 5
3
0
05. - 10. 11. - 15. 16 - 20 21- 25 26-30 31 and above
Table No. 8 and Graph No. 8 showed that 5% of respondents started

using Instagram at the age group of 5 – 10, 10% at the age of 11 – 15,
59% at the age of 16 – 20, 18% at the age of 21 – 25, 3% at the age of 26
– 30 and 3% at the age of 30and above.
reted that most of the population started using Instagram at
the age group of 16 – 20, this is the age of college going students
followed by the age grou
group of 21 – 25, followed by the age group of 11 –
15.
53
2.4 FREQUENCY OF USING INSTAGRAM
Table No. 9 frequency of using Instagram

Frequency Percentage
Everyday 79
Twice orr Thrice A Week 6
Once A Week 3
Rarely. 12
Graph No. 9 frequency of using Instagram

90
79
80
70
60
50
40
30
20 12
10 6 3
0
Everday Twice or Thrice a Once a week Rarely.
week
Table No. 9 and Graph No. 9 showed that 79% of the respondents use
Instagram Everyday, 6% use Twice or Thrice a week, 3% use Once a
week and 12% use Rarely.
erpreted that most of the population use Instagram everyday
which means that it is a part of their everyday life.
54
2.5 ACTIVITY RATE
Table No.
o. 10 activity rate
Activity Rate Percentage
Highly Active 35
Active 42
Low Active 23
Source: Compiled ffrom Primary data
Graph No.
o. 10 activity rate
45 42
40
35
35
30
25 23
20
15
10
0
HIGHLY ACTIVE ACTIVE LOW ACTIVE
Highly Active, 42% are Active and 23% are Low Active users.
It can be interpreted that 77% of the respondents are active (highly active
and active).
55
2.6 TIME INTERVAL OF USING INSTAGRAM
Table No. 11 time interval of using Instagram

Intervals Percentage
Every 2 orr 5 Minutes 17
Every 10 or 15 Minutes 12
Every Half Hour 20
Every 1 orr 2 Hour 30
Once In A Day. 21
Graph No. 11 time interval of using Instagram

35
30
30
25
20 21
20 17
15 12
10
0
EVERY 2 OR 5 EVERY 10 TO EVERY HALF EVERY 1 OR 2 Once in a Day.
MINUTES 15 MINUTES HOUR HOUR
Table No. 11 and Graph No. 11 showed that 12% of the respondents uses
Instagram in every 2 to 5 minutes, 12% use in every 10 to 15 minutes,
20% use in every half hour, 30% use in every 1 or 2 hours and 21% use
once in a day.
It can be interpreted that the highest intensity of using Instagram

Inst is in
every 1 or 2 hours for most of the population.
56
2.7 TYPE OF ACCOUNT
Table No.
o. 12 type of account
Type Of Account Percentage
Open 71
Private 29
Graph no. 12 type of account

80 71
70
60
50
40
29
30
20
10
0
OPEN PRIVATE
Source: Compiled From Primary data.
Table no. 12 and Graph no. 12 showed that 71% of the respondents have
their account Open and 29% of the respondents Private account.
It can be interpreted that as more than half of the population has Open
account theree is greater reach of media to the general public because
when account is open another user not following the account holder can
view his/her media (Post, Story, Reels, IGTV, Live, etc.) without the
prior permission of the account holder.
57
2.8 REASONS FOR P

PRIVATE ACCOUNT
Table no. 13 Reasons For Private Account

Reasons Percentage
Social Reach With
Limited People 35
Security 61
Fear 1
Others 3
Source: Compiled ffrom Primary Data.
Graph no. 13 Reasons For Private Account

70
61
60
50
40 35
30
20
10 3
1
0
Social Reach with Security Fear Others
Limited People
Table no.13 and Graph No. 13 shows the reasons for Private account.
Table No. 12 and graph No. 12 showed that 29% of the respondents have
Private account among that 35% have reason of Social Reach with
limited people, 61% has it for Security reasons
reasons,, 1% has it because of Fear
and 3% have some other reasons.
erpreted that most of the population have Private account for
Security reasons followed by Social Reach with limited people.
58
3. INSTAGRAM FEATURES
3.1 MOST LIKED FEATURE
Table No. 14 most liked feature

Feature Percentage
Reels 62
Post 71
Story 55
IGTV 35
All 57
Graph No. 14 most liked feature

80
71
70
62
60 55 57
50
40 35
30
20
10
0
REELS POST STORY IGTV ALL
Table No. 14 and Graph No. 14 showed that Reels is liked by 62% of the
respondents,
ndents, Posts by 71%, Story by 55%, IGTV by 35% and 57%
respondents like all the features of Instagram.
It can be interpreted that Post is the most liked feature of the Instagram
followed by Reels followed by Story.
59
3.2 MOST LIKED FEATURE
Table No. 15 most liked content

Content Percentage
Entertainment 84
News 57
Business 32
Fashion 49
Sports 36
Education 12
Others 10
Graph No. 15 most liked content

90 84
80
70
57
60
49
50
40 36
32
30
20 12 10
10
0
Table No. 15 and Graph No. 15 showed that Entertainment is liked by

84% of the respondents, News by 57%, Business by 32%, Fashion by
49%, Sports by 36%, Education by 12% and 10% of the respondents also
like the other content.
Entertainment is the most liked con

content
tent followed by News and Fashion
60
4. INSTAGRAM IN RE
RELATION
LATION AND COMPARISON
WITH OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA.
4.1 ACCOUNT LINKED WITH FACEBOOK OR OTHER

SOCIAL MEDIA APP.
Table No. 16 account linked with Facebook or other social media app
Linked Percentage
Yes 89
No 11
Graph No. 16 account linked with Facebook or other social media app
100
89
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
11
10
0
YES NO
Table No. 16 and Graph No. 16 showed that 89%

% of the respondents have
linked their Instagram account with Facebook and other Social Media
App and 11%
% have not linked it.
61
4.2 REASONS FOR LINKING ACCOUNT WITH FACEBOOK

OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA APP.
Table No. 17 reasons for linking

Reasons Percentage
Easy To Post Through Instagram 47
Just As An Option By Instagram 37
For Business 5
Not Linked 11
Source:
e: Compiled ffrom Primary data.
Table No. 17 reasons for linking

50 47
45
40 37
35
30
25
20
15 11
10
5
5
0
Easy to post Just as an option by For Business Not linked
through Instagram
Instagram…
Table No. 17 and Graph No. 17 showed that 47% of the respondents have
linked their Instagram account because it is Easy to post through
Instagram, 37% because Just as an option by Instagram, 5% for Business
and 11% has not linked.
erpreted that most of the population havee linked with other
social media app because it is easy to post through Instagram once linked,
this is the special feature of the Instagram.
62
4.3 BENEFITS OF LINKING ACCOUNT WITH FACEBOOK OR

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA APP.
Table No. 18 benefits of linking

Benefits Percentage
Increase In Viewer Rate 29
No Need To Post Multiple Times 49
No Need To Go To Other Apps
For Other Activity. 41
Greater Social Interaction 20
Others 6
Graph No. 18 benefits of linking

60
49
50
41
40
29
30
20
20
10 6
0
Increase in No need to post No need to go to Greater social others
Viewer Rate multiple times other apps for interaction
other activity.
Source: Compiled ffrom Primary data
linked the account because of the benefit of Increase in viewer rate, 49%
because No need to post multiple times, 41% because No need to go to
other apps for other activity, 20% because of Greater social interaction
and 6% because of Other benefits.
63
4.4 PREFERENCE OF INSTAGRAM OVER OTHER SOCIAL

MEDIA APP.
Table No. 19 preference over other social media app

Prefer Percentage
Yes 52
No 24
Maybe 24
Graph No. 19 preference over other social media app
60
52
50
40
30 24 24
20
10
0
YES NO MAYBE
Table No. 19 and Graph No. 19 showed that 52% of the respondents
prefer Instagram over other social media apps, 24% of the respondents do
not prefer and 24% of the respondents may prefer.
erpreted that most of the population prefer Instagram over
other social media apps; it means that Instagram is the most favoured app
as compared to other social media apps.
64
4.5 INSTAGRAM THE MOST DEVELOPED AND ORGANISED

APP AMONGST THE ALL
ALL.
Table No. 20 Instagram the most dev

developed
eloped and organised app
Agree Percentage
Yes 67
No 10
Maybe 23
Table No. 20 Instagram the most dev

developed
eloped and organised app
80
70 67
60
50
40
30
23
20
10
10
0
YES NO MAYBE
Table No. 20 and Graph No. 20 showed that 67% of the respondents
agree that the Instagram is the most developed and organised app
amongst the all, 10% of the respondents do not agree and 23% of the
respondents may agre
agree.
erpreted that most of the population agree that Instagram is
the most developed and organised app amongst the other social media
apps.
65
5. INSTAGRAM AS AN ONLINE MARKETING

PLATFORM.
5.1 AWARENESS THAT MERCHANDISE CAN BE BOUGHT

THROUGH INSTAGRAM.
Table No. 21 awareness on Instagram shopping

Aware Percentage
Yes 78
No 22
Table No. 21 awareness on Instagram shopping

90
78
80
70
60
50
40
30
22
20
10
0
YES NO
aware that merchandise can be bought through Instagram and 22% of the
respondents are not aware.
It can be interpreted that most of the population are aware that

merchandise can be bought through Instagram.
66
5.2 SHOPPING FROM INSTAGRAM.
Table No. 22 shopping from Instagram

Purchase Percentage
Yes 45
No 55
Graph No. 22 shopping from Instagram

60 55
50 45
40
30
20
10
0
YES NO
Source:: Compiled ffrom Primary data.
done shopping from Instagram and 55% of the respondents did not do any
shopping from the Instagram.
It can be interpreted that less than half of the population have done
shopping from Instagram. Table No. 21 and Graph No. 21 sh
showed that
78% of the population are aware of Instagram shopping but only 45% of
the population has done shopping from Instagram.
67
5.3 INSTAGRAM AS A MARKETING TOOL.
Table No. 23 Instagram as a marketing tool

Instagram Instagram is the Instagram
is a great most widely provides a wider
Rate tool for used media for market for
digital promotion and upcoming and
marke
marketing. marketing. existing
entrepreneurs
entrepreneurs.
Strongly
Agree 60 65 75
Agree 15 15 10
Neutral 10 5 2
Disagree 15 15 11
Strongly
Disagree 0 0 2
Graph No. 23 Instagram as a marketing tool

80 75
70 65
60
60
50
40
STROGLY AGREE
30 AGREE
NEUTRAL
20 15 15 15 15 DISAGREE
10 10 11
STONGLY DISAGREE
10 5
2 2
0 0
0
Do you agree that Do you agree that Do you agree that
Instagram is a great Instagram is the the
tool for digital mostwidely used InstagramProvides
marketing? media for a wider market for
promotion upcomingand
andmarketing? existing
entrepreneurs

68
Table No. 23 and Graph No. 23 showed that:
1. 60% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram is a great tool

for digital marketing, 15% of the respondents agree, 10% of the
respondents are neutral and 10% of the respondents disagree.
2. 65% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram is the most
widely used media for promotion and marketing, 15% of the
respondents agree, 5% of the respondents are neutral and 15% of
the respondents disagree.
3. 75% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram provides a
wider market for upcoming and existing entrepreneurs, 10% of the
respondents agree, 2% of the respondents are neutral, 11% of the
respondents disagree and 2% of the respondents strongly disagree.
It can be interpreted that more than half of the population strongly agree
that:
1. Instagram is a great tool for digital marketing,

2. Most widely used media for promotion and marketing and
3. Provides a wider market for upcoming and existing entrepreneurs.
69
6. CRITICAL ANALYSIA AND IMPACT OF

INSTAGRAM.
6.1 POSITIVE IMPACT OF INSTAGRAM
Table No. 24 positive impact of Instagram

People
eople are Instagram People
eople get
influenced by influence has a Instagram as the
Rate celebrities, or positive right platform to
people whom impact on share their
they follow or behaviour and views, opinions
others. lifestyle of and ideas
people
Strongly
Agree 5 50 65
Agree 75 45 30
Neutral 5 3 2
Disagree 5 2 3
Strongly
Disagree 5 0 0
Graph No. 24 positive impact of Instagram

80 75
70 65
60
50
50 45
40
30 STROGLY AGREE
30
AGREE
20 NEUTRAL
10 5 5 5 5 3 2 DISAGREE
0 2 3 0
STONGLY DISAGREE
0
Do you agree that Are those influence Do you agree that
people are has an impact on people get
influencedby behaviour and Instagramas the right
celebrities, or people lifestyle of people? platform to share
whom theyfollow or their views,opinions
others? and ideas?

70

1. 5% of the respondents strongly agree that people are influenced by
celebrities or by people whom they follow or by others, 75% of the
respondents agree, 5% of the respondents are neutral, 5% of the
respondents disagree and 5% of the respondents strongly disagree.
2. 50% of the respondents strongly agree that those influences has a
positive impact on behaviour and lifestyle of people, 45% of the
respondents agree, 3% of the respondents are neutral and 2% of the
respondents disagree.
3. 65% of the respondents strongly agree that people get Instagram as
the right platform to share their views, opinions and ideas, 30% of
the respondents agree, 2% of the respondents are neutral and 3% of
the respondents disagree.
It can be interpreted that:

1. More than half of the population agree that people are influenced
by celebrities or by people whom they follow or by others,
2. Half of the population strongly agree that those influences has a
positive impact on behaviour and lifestyle of people and
3. More than half of the population strongly agree that people get
Instagram as the right platform to share their views, opinions and
ideas.
71
6.2 NEGATIVE IMPACT OF INSTAGRAM

Table No. 25 negative
tive impact of Instagram
Most
ost of Instagra Most of People Instagra
your time m has the mostly m is
is being negative content teenagers committe
wasted impact and news are being d
on on on manipulate towards
Rate Instagra behaviou Instagra d. its
m. r and m is sensitive
lifestyle bogus content
of and policy.
people. rumours.
Strongly
Agree 15 27 28 19 5
Agree 50 52 60 64 7
Neutral 25 11 10 9 10
Disagree 10 10 2 6 15
Strongly
Disagree 0 0 0 2 63
Graph No. 25 positive impact of Instagram
Do you agree with the

commitment of instagram on its 5 7 10 15 63
sensitive content policy?
Do you agree that people mostly

19 64 9 62
teenagers are being manipulated?
STROGLY AGREE
Do you agree that most of the
AGREE
content and news on instagram is 28 60 1020
bogus and rumours? NEUTRAL
DISAGREE
Do you agree that instagram has
STONGLY DISAGREE
negative impact on behaviour and 27 52 11 100
lifestyle of people?
Do you think that most of your

15 50 25 100
time is being wasted on instagram
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

72

1. 15% of the respondents strongly agree that most of their time is
being wasted on Instagram, 50% of the respondents agree, 25% of
the respondents are neutral and 10% of the respondents disagree.
2. 27% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram has a
negative impact on the lifestyle and behaviour of the people, 52%
of the respondents agree, 11% of the respondents are neutral, 10%
of the respondents disagree.
3. 28% of the respondents strongly agree that most of the content and
news on Instagram is bogus and rumours, 60% of the respondents
agree, 10% of the respondents are neutral and 2% of the disagree.
4. 19% of the respondents strongly agree that people mostly teenagers
are being manipulated, 64% of the respondents agree, 9% of the
respondents are neutral, 6% of the respondents disagree and 2% of
the respondents strongly disagree.
5. 5% of the respondents strongly agree with the commitment of
Instagram on its sensitive content policy, 7% of the respondents
agree, 10% of the respondents are neutral, 15% of the respondents
disagree and 63% of the respondents strongly disagree.
It can be interpreted that:

1. More than half of the population agree that most of their time is
being wasted on Instagram, it has a negative impact on the lifestyle
and behaviour of the people, most of the content and news on
Instagram is bogus and rumours, people mostly teenagers are being
manipulated.
2. More than half of the population strongly disagree with the
commitment of Instagram on its sensitive content policy.
73
6.3 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ACTIVITY RATE AND

THE IMPACT OF INSTAGRAM ON THE LIFESTYLE,
BEHAVIOUR AND DECISIONS OF THE PEOPLE.
Table No. 26 relationship between activity rate and impact

PARTICULARS PERCENTAGE
Active And Agree That It Has An Impact 75
Active And Do Not Agree That It Has An
Impact 3
Not Active And Agree That It Has An
Impact 16
Not Active And Do Not Agree That It Has
An Impact 6
Graph No. 26 relationship between activity rate and impact

80 75
70
60
50
40 AGREE THAT IT HAS AN
30 IMPACT
20 16 DO NOT AGREE THAT IT
HAS AN IMPACT
10 6
3
0
YES NO
ACTIVE
Table No. 26 and Graph No. 26 showed that 75% of the respondents that
are active and 16% of the respondents that are not active agree that
activity rate has an impact on the lifestyle, behaviour and decisions of the
people whereas, 3% of the respondents that are active and 6% of the
respondents that are not active do not agree.
74
6.4 VICTIM OF FRAUD ON INSTAGRAM
Table No. 27 victim of fraud on Instagram.

Victim Percentage
Yes 16
No 76
Maybe 8
Graph No. 27 victim of fraud on Instagram.

80 76
70
60
50
40
30
20 16
8
10
0
YES NO MAYBE
been the victim of fraud on Instagram (blackmailing, marketing fraud,
etc.), 76% of the respondents have not been the victim and 8% may have
been the victim of fraud.
It can be interpreted that more than half of the population have not been
the victim of fraud on Instagram such as blackmailing, marketing fraud,
etc.
75
6.5 ACTIONS ON POTENTIAL FRAUD
Table No. 28 actions on potential fraud

Action Percentage
Report And
Block. 77
Block And
Ignore. 33
Filing FIR. 48
Graph No. 28 actions on potential fraud

90
80 77
70
60
48
50
40 33
30
20
10
0
Report and Block. Block and Ignore. Filing FIR.
Table No. 28 and Graph No. shows the multiple options people will
choose if fraud happens in future, it showed that 77% of the respondents
will Report and block if any kind of fraud happens in future, 33% will
Block and Ignore and 48% will file FIR.
It can be interpreted that more than half of the population will prefer to
Report and Block if fraud happens in future.
76
7. OVERALL REVIEW OF INSTAGRAM
Table No. 29 overall review of Instagram

Provides Best Best Social Safe To Easy To
Entertainment, Media App. Use. Understand
Rate News, Etc And Easy to
Use.
Strongly
Agree 70 58 53 55
Agree 15 12 38 39
Neutral 5 20 5 0
Disagree 0 0 0 0
Strongly
Disagree 10 10 4 6
Graph No. 29 overall review of Instagram
Easy to understand and easyto

55 39 06
use.
Safe to Use. 53 38 50 4
STROGLY AGREE
AGREE
NEUTRAL
DISAGREE
Best social media app. 58 12 20 0 10
STONGLY DISAGREE
Provides best
70 15 5 0 10
entertainment,news, etc
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
77

1. 70% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram provides best
entertainment, news, etc., 15% of the respondents agree, 5% of the
respondents are neutral and 10% of the respondents strongly
disagree.
2. 58% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram is the best
social media app, 12% of the respondents agree, 20% of the
respondents are neutral and 10% of the respondents strongly
disagree.
3. 53% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram is safe to use,
38% of the respondents agree, 5 % of the respondents are neutral
and 4% of the respondents strongly disagree.
4. 55% of the respondents strongly agree that Instagram is easy to use
and easy to understand, 39% of the respondents agree and 6% of
the respondents strongly disagree.
It can be interpreted that more than half of the population strongly agree
that:
1. Instagram provides best entertainment, news, etc.,
2. It is the best social media app,
3. It is safe to use and
4. It is easy to use and easy to understand.
78
8. HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY
Table No. 30 relationship between activity rate and impact

ACTIVE
YES NO TOTAL
Agree that there is a relation YES 75 16 91
NO 3 6 9
Source: Compiled from Primary data.
In orders to
H0: There is no relation between the activity rate and the impact of
Instagram on the lifestyle, behaviour and decisions of the people.
H1: There is a relation between the activity rate and the impact of
In order to test the hypothesis, Chi-square test is used.
Table no. 31 results of Chi-square test

Value Df Asymp. Sig. (2 Sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 11.49876 1 0.001
No. Of Valid Cases 100
Source: Output from Chi_Square_and_F_test software
Table No. 31 showed that value of X2 is less than 0.5 i.e. 0.001.
Therefore, null hypothesis i.e. H0 is failed to be accepted.
Thus, there is a relation between the activity rate and the impact of
79
CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS AND

SUGGESTIONS
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Instagram is one fastest growing and one of the most popular Social
Networking applications in recent time. In Mumbai metropolitan
region it is one of widely used social networking application as
compared to others. It has more no of female users and most of the
users are age group of 21 – 25 years, also most of the population
belongs to the family whose monthly family income is less than
25000 and most of the population live in urban area and more than
half of the users are Students.
2. More than of the population of the Mumbai metropolitan area have
stated using Instagram in last 2 or 3 years also most of them started
using at the age of group of 16 – 20 and more than half of population
use it for Social Interaction followed education followed by sports.
More than half of the population are active on Instagram and they
use it every day. Most of the population have Open Instagram
account.
3. Most of the population prefer Instagram over other Social media
applications like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest, etc and
they also agree that Instagram is a great platform for marketing and
promotion and it provides a huge platform for upcoming young
entrepreneurs.
4. Instagram has both positive and negative impact on the lifestyle,
behaviour and decisions of the people but its negative impact is
critical. Positive side is that it provides good entertainment, news,
80
fashion and educational stuff and dark side of the Instagram

influences are that most of followers try to match with standard and
they also hate themselves for the way they look and talk, as students
are more vulnerable to this they indulge into unethical and harmful
activities. Now days there are good number of frauds happening
through Instagram which includes Blackmailing, fraud marketing,
child molestation, etc. and some people have been the victim of it,
most of the people take actions such as reporting, blocking, filing
FIR but some just ignore it, this is true with the case of students and
females. Instagram has a very well defined sensitive content policy
and community guidelines but there are number of cases in which
the application doesn't really mean it.
The study concluded with the help of Inferential Analysis that the Impact
of Instagram on the lifestyle, behaviour and decisions of the people is
dependent on the Activity Rate.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Most of the people have kept their account open but care must be
taken before posting any content because anything or everything can
be misused in an open where everything is visible. In case of
personal content in open account users must select share with option
where they have to select people whom they wish to see. Unless one
has an account for Business or else he/she is a public image account
should be kept private.
2. As most of the population on the Instagram are students, they must
be guided by their parents or guardians regarding the dark side of
social networking sites, they should be more focused on the good
content such as Education, News, Sports, etc. People should use
81
Instagram as a platform to share their views, opinions and ideas but

a there should be a boundary line between ideas and personal stuffs.
Rather than getting influence from the standard, lifestyle, way of
looking of the influencers and imitating the same people should
learn how they reached there and learn from success stories of the
successful people.
3. Instagram is really a good platform for upcoming entrepreneurs for
promoting their business, so opportunity must be exploited rather
that getting exploited. Instagram is a good source of entertainment
but care must be taken because over usage has a negative impact on
the behaviour of the people and people end up wasting their
productive time.
4. As there are multiple fake accounts on Instagram or any other social
networking sites, there must be an excellent step taken by all to
avoid or reduce exploitation or any other negative or unethical
activity. For example if the Social Media account is made mandatory
to be linked with the ID proof like AADHAR or any other, there will
be fear among the public before doing anything wrong and those
who does can be caught and punished at the earliest.
82
CHAPTER 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 https://www.muchtech.org/2018/02/advantages-and-disadvantages-
of-instagram.html
 https://www.fifteendesign.co.uk/blog/the-evolution-of-instagram-
from-camera-app-to-the-second-most-important-social-network/
 https://www.abingtonhealth.org/healthy-living/health-
news/library/articles-related-to-general-health/are-instagram-and-other-
social-media-bad-for-your-teens-mental-h/
 https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2021/sep/14/facebook-
aware-instagram-harmful-effect-teenage-girls-leak-reveals
 https://news.northeastern.edu/2021/09/20/negative-effects-of-
instagram/
 https://blog-synclarity-
in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/blog.synclarity.in/marketing/instagram-v/s-
other-social-media
platforms?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a6&hs_amp=true&usqp=mq331AQK
KAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=163
88477291146&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare
=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.synclarity.in%2Fmarketing%2Finstagram-
v%2Fs-other-social-media-platforms
 https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/social-media-statistics-in-india
83
 https://www.statista.com/topics/1882/instagram/?#topicHeader__w
rapper
 https://www.statista.com/statistics/248769/age-distribution-of-
worldwide-instagram-users/
 https://napoleoncat.com/stats/instagram-users-in-india/2020/01/
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram
 https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/instagrams-
new-sensitive-content-control-feature/article35699583.ece/amp/
 https://influencermarketinghub.com/instagram-features/amp/
 https://www.vision-advertising.com/2017/04/27/instagram-impact-
business/
 https://www.exchange4media.com/amp/digital-news/businesses-
are-on-instagram-because-the-platform-drives-business-outcomes-
110283.html
 https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/instagram-over-other-social-
media-platform
 https://www.businessupnorth.co.uk
84
CHAPTER 8. APPENDIX
SOCIO – ECONOMIC BACKGROUND.
1. Age
o 5 – 10
o 11 – 15
o 16 – 20
o 21 – 25
o 26 – 30
o 31 and above
2. Gender
o Male
o Female
o Others
3. Family Income
o Less than 25000
o 25000 – 40000
o 40000 – 60000
o 60000 and above
4. Occupation
o Student
o Service
o Self employed
o Retired
85
o Unemployed
5. Living Area
o Urban
o Semi – Urban
o Rural
GENERAL QUESTIONS
6. How long have been using Instagram?

o Less than 1 year
o Less than 2 or 3 years
7. For what reasons are you using Instagram?

□ Social interaction
□ News
□ Education
□ Business
□ Sports
□ Shopping
□ Others
8. At what age did you start using Instagram?

o 5 – 10
o 11 – 15
o 16 – 20
86
o 21 – 25
o 26 – 30
o 31 and above
9. How frequent do you use Instagram?

o Everyday
o Twice or Thrice a week
o Once a week
o Rarely
10. What is the activity rate

o Highly active
o Active
o Low activity
11. At what intervals do you use Instagram?

(Answer only if you are active)
o Every 2 to 5 minutes
o Every 10 to 15 minutes
o Every half hour
o Every one or 2 hours
12. Account Open or Private?

o Open
o Private
13. Reasons for Private account?

o Social reach with limited people
87
o Security
o Fear
o Others
INSTAGRAM FEATURES
14. Most liked features?

□ Reels
□ Post
□ Story
□ IGTV
□ Others
15. Most liked content?

□ Entertainment
□ News
□ Business
□ Fashion
□ Sports
□ Others
INSTAGRAM IN RELATION AND COMPARISON WITH

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
16. Account linked with other social media app?

o Yes
o No
88
17. Reasons for linking account with other social media app?
□ Easy to post through Instagram
□ Just as an option by Instagram
□ For business
□ Not linked
□ Others
18. What are the benefits of linking account with other social media
app?
□ Increase in viewer rate
□ No need to post multiple times
□ No need to go to other apps for other activity
□ Greater social interaction
□ Others
19. Do you prefer Instagram over other social media app?

o Yes
o No
o Maybe
20. Do you agree that Instagram is the most developed and organised
amongst the all?
o Yes
o No
o Maybe
89
INSTAGRAM AS AN ONLINE MARKETING

PLATFORM
21. Are you aware that merchandise can be bought though Instagram?
o Yes
o No
22. Did you ever order from Instagram?

o Yes
o No
23. Please answer the following

Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
agree Disagree
Instagram is a
great tool for
digital
marketing.
Instagram is the
most widely
used media for
promotion and
marketing.
Instagram
provides a wider
market for
upcoming and
existing
entrepreneurs.
90
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INSTAGRAM?
24. Positive impact of Instagram

agree disagree
People are
influenced by
celebrities or by
people whom
they follow or
by others.
Instagram’s
influence has a
positive impact
on behaviour
and lifestyle of
the people.
People get
Instagram as the
right platform to
share their
views, opinions
and ideas.
25. Negative impact of Instagram

agree disagree
Most of your time is
being wasted on
Instagram.
Instagram has a
negative impact on
behaviour and
lifestyle of the
people.
Most of the content
and news on
Instagram is bogus
and rumours.
91
People mostly
teenagers are being
manipulated.
Instagram is
committed with its
sensitive content
policy
26. Relation between activity rate and the influence of Instagram on the
lifestyle, behaviour and decisions of the people.
o Active and agree that it has an impact on the lifestyle, behaviour and
decisions of the people.
o Active and do not agree that it has an impact on the lifestyle,
behaviour and decisions of the people.
o Do not active but agree that it has an impact on the lifestyle,
o Do not active and do not agree that it has an impact on the lifestyle,
27. Have you ever been the victim of fraud on Instagram?

(Blackmailing, marketing fraud, etc.)
o Yes
o No
o Maybe
28. What will be your action if fraud happens in future?

□ Report and block
□ Block and ignore
□ Filing FIR
□ Others
92
OVERALL REVIEW OF INSTAGRAM
29. Please answer the following.

agree disagree
Provides best
entertainment,
news, etc.
Best social media
app.
Safe to use.
Easy to understand
and easy to use.
30. Please give your views on the usage, feature, pros and cons of the
Instagram?
93

Chapter 1. Introduction.: 1.1 Development and Evolution

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Chapter 1. Introduction.: 1.1 Development and Evolution

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PRAHLADRAI DALMIA LIONS COLLEGE OF COMMERECE AND ECONOMICS

Instagram is a social media app founded in San Francisco by Kevin

1.1 DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION.

Originally launched for iOS in October 2010, Instagram rapidly gained

A couple of years later, in 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for over $1

In June 2015, the desktop website user interface was redesigned to

In October 2019, Instagram introduced a limit on the number of posts

The various Instagram filters are as follows:

businesses to create long-form, high-production value videos of up to 1

to encourage more people to follow you on Instagram is to offer Stories-

Stickers and quizzes

Instagram Stories video

Video in Instagram Stories can be highly entertaining, and is great for

AR is a technology that superimposes virtual effects (generated by a

In November 2019, Instagram had begun a new video feature known as

In December 2013, Instagram announced Instagram Direct, a feature that

In January 2011, Instagram introduced hashtags to help users discover

1.3 INSTAGRAM DEMOGRAPHICS IN INDIA

As of October 2021, India was the leading country based on Instagram

especially among young adults. The platform reported one billion

1.4 SENSITIVE CONTENT POLICY AND

In July 2021, Instagram introduced a feature that allowed its users to

What Instagram classifies as ‘sensitive’?

Instagram recognises three main categories of content that may impede

The photo-sharing platform further added that sensitive content can be

Community is at the heart of Instagram and they are focussed on enabling

watch short-form entertaining videos but the app is also focussed on

1.5 INSTAGRAM LITE

1.6 INSTAGRAM AS A BUSINESS TOOL

Businesses are on Instagram because the platform drives business

Instagram offers full-funnel solutions that help drive awareness, to

1. Feed ads – Leverage Instagram’s dynamic feed for placing photo

1.7 PROS AND CONS

PROS: Some of the advantages of Instagram are as follows:

Instagram is free to use: Instagram is free to use like other social

Instagram is fastest growing social network: Instagram is fastest

Security and privacy policy: Instagram has very useful security

Advantages of Instagram for students: Instagram also provides

Instagram improves language skill: Students use Instagram to share

CONS: Instagram has a lot of advantages but it also has some

Mobile friendly design: Instagram was created for mobile use

Addictive: Like other social networking sites Instagram is also addictive.

Rely on images: Instagram depends on images. If your images are

Image Privacy: Image privacy is another disadvantage of Instagram.

Advertising Issue: Numerous stores depend on Instagram to promote

Disadvantages of Instagram for students: As mentioned earlier,

Social, Psychological and Behavioural Problems: Over usage or high

CHAPTER 2. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF

1. INSTAGRAM V/S PINTEREST

As compared to all other social media platforms, Instagram has

Pinterest is a social network with photo-centric virtual pinboards, but

Newer shopping features like current pricing, links to retailers' websites,

The question arises whether businesses should pay more attention to

Though Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat dominate the

This is mainly because Pinterest encourages its users to share photos of

 Pinterest has 291 million monthly active users.

Pinterest can be quite profitable if used well. It connects businesses and

using Pinterest for reference, while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store.

It is observed that Pinterest could soon be a threat to Instagram!

But Instagram has it all planned:

 Instagram has a younger and wider crowd as compared to Pinterest.

Thus, even though brands can promote themselves well on Pinterest,

2. INSTAGRAM V/S FACEBOOK