Most Instagram Users Mistake Habitual Scrolling For Addiction, Study Finds

Instagram users whitethorn overestimate nan grade to which they are addicted to nan platform, according to investigation conducted connected 1,204 US adults published successful Scientific Reports. The findings propose that for astir societal media users, excessive usage is driven by wont alternatively than genuine addiction.

Addiction towards a constituent aliases action is typically characterised by a cluster of symptoms including difficulties controlling use, experiencing cravings to use, experiencing withdrawal symptoms erstwhile not using, and continuing to usage contempt antagonistic consequences aliases consequence of harm.

Ian Anderson and Wendy Wood surveyed an astir typical sample of 380 US Instagram users, who were 50% women and had an mean property of 44 years. Participants described really addicted they felt to Instagram and were assessed for symptoms of addictive Instagram use. The authors recovered that though 18% of participants astatine slightest somewhat agreed that they were addicted to Instagram - pinch 5% substantially agreeing - only 2% displayed symptoms indicating consequence of imaginable addiction.

The authors explored a imaginable origin of this discrepancy by assessing descriptions of societal media usage successful news articles published successful US news media outlets betwixt November 2021 and November 2024. They identified 4,383 articles mentioning nan building "social media addiction" and 50 mentioning nan building "social media habit". This suggests that predominant societal media usage tends to beryllium described arsenic an addiction successful US news articles. The authors propose that this whitethorn power really users comprehend their societal media use. 

Using a 2nd sample of 824 US big Instagram users, nan authors investigated imaginable antagonistic impacts of labelling predominant Instagram usage arsenic an addiction. The authors recovered that prompting participants to framework their societal media usage arsenic an addiction was associated pinch little feelings of power complete their Instagram usage and assigning higher levels of blasted to some themselves and nan level for their excessive use.

Together, nan findings propose that labelling predominant societal media usage arsenic an addiction by news media and different institutions whitethorn lend to Instagram users overestimating nan grade to which they are addicted to nan level and whitethorn besides negatively effect their perceptions of their societal media use. More selective usage of nan word addiction by policymakers and nan news media successful narration to societal media usage whitethorn trim this effect, according to nan authors.