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The Impact of Instagram on Young Women’s Mental Health

Maddie Ulmer

School of Communication and Media, Kennesaw State University

COM 2020: Communication Sources and Investigation

Professor Ted Kim

May 2, 2022
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Abstract

This literature review focuses on how Instagram affects young women’s mental health. This

paper investigates and analyses how various variables including Instagram usage, profile

following, and photo manipulation affect mental health in young women. This paper also

investigates the self-objectification theory that scholars have studied to review how society

pressures and influences women through social media, specifically Instagram. This paper

concluded that Instagram hinders self-confidence in young women and increases social

comparison and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. This paper also

concludes that women who use Instagram more frequently are more likely to experience these

mental health issues.

Keywords: Instagram, self-objectification, depression, anxiety, social comparison

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The Impact of Instagram on Young Women’s Mental Health

Social media usage continues to increase, and mental health continues to be affected in

young women as society’s standard of the “perfect person” gets harder to meet. According to

Pew Research Center (2019), “Data from 2019 show that 75% of Americans are using social

media, and that number jumps to 90% for users between the ages of 18 and 29” (as cited in

Garcia et al., 2021, pg. 1). One prominent social media platform that affects women’s self-image

and mental health is Instagram. The purpose of this paper is to further asses how Instagram plays

a role in young women’s self-image and the mental disorders that result from the overuse of this

social media platform. Through a literature review, the authors expect to see an increase in

mental health disorders because of the pressure society’s trends and standards put on young

women through the social media platform Instagram.

Literature Review

Instagram

Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms that was created in 2010 for the

purpose of sharing pictures and videos to the public or one’s personal followers. Instagram is one

of the fastest growing platforms as evidenced by its 7% increase from 2016 to 2018 (Song et al.,

2019). In contrast to Facebook, Instagram has more public profiles where users can follow, like,

and comment on anyone’s posts including people they do not know, which increases engagement

and activity on a user’s profile (Lup et al., 2015). Also, in contrast to Facebook where both users

must connect with each other to get updates, Instagram followings can go in only one direction,

as evidenced by celebrities’ popularity and followers to following ratio due to their open profiles

(Lup et al., 2015). While the purpose of Facebook is to connect with each other, Instagram is
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used more for personal use to show of pictures to receive satisfaction from the praise and number

of likes a post gets (Huang & Su, 2018). Instagram users use the app to pursue social validation

through the praise a post gets, which gives them a sense of self-satisfaction (Huang & Su, 2018).

Instagram Photos Vs. Reality

Instagram is a photo-driven social media platform that focusses on the positive aspects

and highlights of an individual’s life, along with the most important and best pictures that are

taken to show off to followers. This behavior causes people to make assumptions of other

celebrities or strangers on the app that their photos directly correlate how they live in real life

(Lup et al., 2015). These assumptions can trigger people to make negative judgements about

themselves and their lives by comparing themselves to others on the app (Lup et al., 2015).

Lup et al. (2015) formulated a study that examined the association between Instagram use

and depressive symptoms. The sample for the study was comprised of 117 participants ages 18-

29, and measured their Instagram use, strangers followed, social comparison, and depressive

symptoms (Lup et al., 2015). The findings showed that individuals with more frequent Instagram

use and more strangers followed showed a direct association to social comparison and more

depressive symptoms (Lup et at., 2015). Those who followed less strangers and more friends and

acquaintances demonstrated less social comparison and depressive symptoms because they know

how those people actually live, which reduces attribution error (Lup et al., 2015).

Instagram users are constantly comparing themselves to other users’ appearance and life.

The main concern is that Instagram users can manipulate their photos by using filters and apps

that can change their physique and smooth imperfections. Seeing these ‘perfect pictures’ affects

not only young women’s body image, but also girls’ body image. Kleemans et al. (2016)

conducted a study that examined how manipulated Instagram photos affected body image in 144
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female adolescents ages 14-18. The study concluded that exposure to manipulated photos on

Instagram led to lower body satisfaction compared to unedited photos (Kleemans et al., 2016).

What is most concerning is that these female adolescents believed that the manipulated images

were a representation of reality, which is why they showed negative body satisfaction when they

saw these fake images (Kleemans et al., 2016).

Self-Objectification

As people spend more time on social media, a common issue that should be addressed is

self-objectification, especially in young women. According to Fredrickson & Roberts (1997) the

objectification theory “proposes that the way women are viewed and depicted as sexual objects

in society has extensive negative consequences through the process of self-objectification,” (as

cited in Garcia et al., 2021, pg. 1). The photos that are posted and viewed on Instagram by young

women are focused on appearance but are often edited by filters and other editing apps to

achieve the ideal level of attractiveness (Garcia et al., 2021). According to Sherlock and

Wagstaff (2019), studies show that a higher use of Instagram lead to lower levels of well-being,

self-esteem, and dissatisfaction with physical appearance (as cited in Garcia et al., 2021, pg. 2).

Lamp et al. (2019) conducted a study to analyze how participants’ selfie behaviors on

Instagram related to self-objectification and depressive symptoms. It was concluded that

behaviors of self-objectification can have negative psychological consequences like feelings of

depression (Lamp et al., 2019). When women want to post a selfie on Instagram, they will take

multiple pictures to get the perfect one, which is not related to deception; however, those actions

are still linked to depression because they view discarded selfies as not good enough or not their

best self (Lamp et al., 2019).

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Instagram is a social media platform that is image-based, so it already influences self-

objectification in women by providing opportunities for them to compare themselves to others

each time an image is displayed on their feed or search page. In addition, Instagram gives users

the opportunity to edit and enhance images before posting, which can pressure young women

into worrying about meeting society’s beauty ideals and comparing their photos to other users’

(Fardouly et al., 2018). Fardouly et al. (2018) conducted a study with young women ages 18-25

from Australia and the United States to examine if Instagram use was associated with young

women’s self-objectification and body concerns. Researchers found that Instagram use correlated

positively with self-objectification, which is what other researchers have found as well (Fardouly

et al., 2018). Participants in this study reported that they will compare themselves to both their

friends and celebrities, but only the comparisons made between themselves, and celebrities had

an impact on the relationship between Instagram use and self-objectification (Fardouly et al.,

2018).

Mental Health

Even though Instagram was made for people to promote themselves and their lives

through pictures and videos, the app still leads to mental health problems. Instagram is most

popular among adolescents and young adults, and according to Pew Research Center (2019),

these age groups check their Instagram account at least once a day (as cited in Faelens, 2021, pg.

1). Faelens (2021) conducted a systematic review to further investigate how Instagram

correlation with users’ emotional well-being and other psychological disorders including

depression and anxiety.

A finding by Longobardi et al. (2020) shows that the relationship between Instagram use

and well-being is correlated by the number of followers a user has (as cited in Faelens, 2021, pg.
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4). A study by Fioravanti et al. (2020) shows that women who use Instagram on a routine basis

or are more addicted to the app than other women show lower levels of life satisfaction and well-

being (as cited in Faelens, 2021, pg. 4).

Regarding depression, Faelens (2021) found from six studies that a greater usage of

Instagram is positively related to depression. Faelens (2021) also examined the relationship

between the type of use and Instagram content and depression. According to Frison &

Eggermont (2017), those who only scroll through Instagram and refrain from liking,

commenting, and posting, will display more depressive systems over time (as cited in Faelens,

2021, pg. 5).

Faelens (2021) also investigated how Instagram use is related to anxiety levels in young

women. A study by Khodarahimi & Fathi (2017) showed that there were higher levels of anxiety

in those who use Instagram than those who did not (as cited in Faelens, 2021, pg. 5). The

characteristics of Instagram profile, such as followers and followees was also examined.

Sherlock & Wagstaff (2019) showed in a study that young adults who follow more accounts tend

to show higher levels of appearance anxiety (as cited in Faelens, 2021, pg. 5).

Analysis and Discussion

As years go on, social media use continues to increase, and trends and standards of

society are everchanging. Instagram is a leading social media platform today, and research has

shown that it has effects on mental health in young women. Young women are usually the age

and gender group that is targeted for mental health concerns with social media platforms like

Instagram because they are constantly held to a specific beauty standard, life standard, and social
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standard. This literature review summarizes research from other scholarly sources on how

Instagram specifically affects the mental health of young women.

Instagram users, especially young women, often use the app for social validation through

the praise a post gets such as its likes, comments, or shares (Huang & Su, 2018). Compared to

Facebook which is an app that has the sole purpose of connecting with each other and is also

geared toward older age groups, Instagram is used for more personal use and for promoting the

self to show off pictures with the hope of getting many likes (Huang & Su, 2018).

Individuals who use Instagram for frequently and follow more strangers on the app

showed a direct association to greater social comparison and depressive symptoms (Lup et al.,

2015). Instagram users, especially young women, compare themselves to the appearance of other

young women along with their lifestyle. What people don’t take into consideration is that the

photos on Instagram are often altered and enhanced through editing apps that change the filtering

and even the size of the body in the photo. People also need to keep in mind that the moments

captured on Instagram are only the highlights of a person’s life, not every moment of their life.

The “perfect pictures” posted on Instagram by young women affects other young

women’s body image concerns. A study conducted by Kleemans (2016) examined how

manipulated Instagram photos affected body image in 144 female adolescents ages 14-18. Most

of these adolescents believed that the manipulated images were real and represented the reality of

the person’s life. These adolescents showed negative body satisfaction when they were presented

with these manipulated images.

Lamp et al. (2019) conducted a study to analyze how participants’ selfie behaviors on

Instagram related to self-objectification and depressive symptoms. They found that when women

want to post a selfie, they often become obsessed with finding the perfect one, which can
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contribute toward feelings of depression because they believe that the discarded selfies aren’t

good enough.

Finally, it can be analyzed that Instagram causes many mental health problems in young

women. It was found that the greater usage of Instagram is positively related to depression.

Young women who use Instagram also display higher levels of anxiety than those who do not

use the app as often. Sherlock & Wagstaff (2019) showed in a study that young adults who

follow more accounts tend to show higher levels of appearance anxiety (as cited in Faelens,

2021, pg. 5).

Through this literature review, the authors expected to see that Instagram does cause

mental health problems for young teenagers. However, there were some limitations with this

research. Instagram has not been around enough for researchers to conduct a long-term study.

Other social media apps can also contribute to mental health problems such as TikTok and

Snapchat. The sample sizes that researchers used were also small compared to the general

population of young women who do use Instagram. Despite these limitations, the researchers did

find similar results.

In future studies, social media platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat should be factored

into these types of studies. TikTok has become a popular social media platform in the last couple

years that even young girls use. Many social media trends also stem from TikTok, which is why

the app should be studied with mental health in young women. Snapchat should also be

considered in future studies because it now the main form of communication in teenagers and

young adults.
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Conclusion

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the affects Instagram has on young women’s

mental health. Specifically, this paper examined how frequent Instagram usage, profile

following, and photo manipulation affects women’s self-image and mental health. The authors

expected to see an increase in mental health concerns in young women due to Instagram usage.

The results indicated that women who use Instagram more frequently are more likely to show

depressive symptoms and express negative social comparison. Women feel pressured by

society’s expectations and standards, which is explained through the self-objectification theory.

If Instagram continues to be an app that is focused solely on sharing the best pictures that are

taken of the self, then women will continue to suffer from social comparison and self-image

concerns.
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References

Faelens, L. (2021). The relationship between Instagram use and indicators of mental health: a

systematic review. Computers in human behavior reports.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100121

Fardouly, J., Willburger, B., & Vartanian, L.R. (2018). Instagram use and young women’s body

image concerns and self-objectification: Testing mediational pathways. New Media and

Society, 20(4). 1380-1395. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817694499

Garcia, R.L., Bingham, S., & Liu, S. (2021). The effects of daily Instagram use on state self-

objectification, well-being, and mood for young women. Psychology of Popular Media.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000350

Huang, Y.-T., & Su, S.-F., (2018). Motives for Instagram use and topics of interest among young

adults. Future Internet, 10(8), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi10080077

Kleemans, M., Daalmans, S., Carbaat, I., & Anschutz, D. (2016). Picture perfect: The direct

effect of manipulated Instagram photos on body image in adolescent girls. Media

Psychology, 21(1) 93-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2016.1257392

Lamp, S.J., Cugle, A., Silverman, A.L., Tené Thomas, M., Liss, M., & Erchull, M.J. (2019).

Picture perfect: The relationship between selfie behaviors, self-objectification, and

depressive symptoms. Sex Roles, 81, 704-712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-019-

01025-z

Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L., (2015). Instagram #instasad?: Exploring associations among

Instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers followed.

Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 18(5), 247-252.

https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0560
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Song, Y.-A., Lee, S.Y., &Kim, Y. (2019). Does mindset matter for using social networking

sites?: Understanding motivations for and uses of Instagram with growth versus fixed

mindset. International Journal of Advertising, 38(6), 886-904.

https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1637614