Desire to Belong Affects Instagram Behavior and Perceived Social Support

Social networking site (SNS) use has been shown to predict both positive and negative well-being. These discrepant findings may be explained by people's motivations for and frequency of using SNSs. This study aimed to explore how frequency of online interactions can be affected by users' motives, specifically, being motivated by a sense of belonging, and possible perceived social support derived from the popular image-based SNS, Instagram. A total of 313 Instagram users (84.4% female, median age = 22 years) completed an online survey between March and September 2017 asking about their motives for using Instagram, perceived social support, and frequency of Instagram use. Multiple regression mediation analyses examined the relationship between being motivated by a desire to belong, mediator variables (frequency of posting, liking, and viewing posts), and perceived social support. A greater desire to belong significantly positively predicted frequency of Instagram use, total perceived social support, and perceived social support from friends and significant others. However, frequency of Instagram use did not predict perceived social support. As such, frequency of Instagram use did not mediate the relationship between motivation and social support. Future research could explore how other user motives and peer feedback affect Instagram use and other well-being outcomes.