ORLA WILSON

MEDIA STUDIES

Instagram
Social Media’s Effect on Society

Instagram Fun Facts

1. Instagram was founded in October, 2010.
2. More than 40 billion photos have been shared in the Instagram history.
3. Instagram was sold for $1 billion in 2012.
4. Currently, there is more than 4.2 billion number of Instagram likes per day.
5. Most followed Instagram user is Selena Gomez, with more than 113 million
followers.
6. Around 95 millions photos is uploaded per a single day.
7. Instagram has been installed 1 billion times on the Google Play Store alone.
8. 32% of all Internet users are on Instagram.
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9. 59% of internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use Instagram

10. When Instagram introduced videos, 5 million videos were uploaded in the
first 24 hours.
11. Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.
12. 68% of Instagram users are Females.
13. More than 8 millions profiles on Instagram are business profiles.
14. 8% is the reported percentage of Instagram accounts that are fake spam
bots.
15. Instagram influencers are charging up to $100,000 for a sponsored post.
16. 80% of Instagram users come from outside of the U.S.
17. 14% of drivers admit checking instagram while driving
18. At this point, 91% of Instagram posts that are photos.
19. 77.6 million Instagram users are from US.
20. More than 1000 contact information details of high-profiles stars and
celebrities was leaked on the dark web because of a bug in the Instagram
security system in August 2017.
21. Overall, 38% of female internet users use Instagram and 26% of male
internet users use Instagram
22. 17% of teens say Instagram is the most important social media site.
23. Pizza is the most Instagrammed food globally, followed by Sushi.
24. Instagram videos get 2 times the engagement of photos than any other
social media platform.
25. The most popular hashtags on Instagram are #Love, #Instagood, #Me,
#Cute, and #Follow.

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POSITIVES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:

1. Messaging on social media sites can lead to face-to-face interactions when
plans are made via the sites.
2. Social media increases voter participation and facilitates political change.
3. Social media helps reduce loneliness of senior citizens who are socially
isolated.
4. Social media allows for quick diffusion of public health and safety
information during crisis events.
5. The U.S. military and the Department of Veterans Affairs use social media to
help prevent suicide.
6. Social media can help disarm social stigmas like anxiety or depression.
7. Crowdsourcing on social media allows people to attain a goal, empowering
users to achieve positive change.
8. Social media provides academic research to a wider audience, allowing
people access to previously inaccessible educational resources.
9. Social media sites can help improve overall well-being by providing users
with a large social group creating a “contagion” effect.
10. Professional networking sites like LinkedIn greatly assist companies to find
personnel and job seekers to find work.

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NEGATIVES OF SOCIAL MEDIA:

● Developing negative recognition and a narcissistic attitude.
● Developing a false sense of reality and irrational goals
● Developing daily anxiety and destructive self-appreciation.

1. Depression and Anxiety

Spending too long on social networking sites could be adversely affecting your
mood. In fact, you’re more likely to report poor mental health, including symptoms
of anxiety and depression.

The recommended amount of time you should spend on social networks is half an
hour per day. So, as with so many things in life, it’s all about moderation.

2. Cyberbullying

Before social media, bullying was something only done face-to-face. However, now,
someone can be bullied online anonymously.

While social media has made making friends easier, it also made it easier for
predators to find victims. The anonymity that social networks provide can be used
by the perpetrators to gain people’s trust and then terrorize them in front of their
peers.

These online attacks often leave deep mental scars and in some serious cases,
cyberbullying has even driven people to suicide. It’s important to note that
cyberbullying isn’t just affecting young people, but also full grown adults.

3. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

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Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a phenomenon that was born at the same time as
Facebook—and it’s one of the most common negative effects of social media.
FOMO is basically a form of anxiety that you get when you’re scared of missing out
on a positive experience or emotions that someone else is getting.

This fear is constantly fueled by your social media engagement. The more you use
social networks, the more likely you are to see that someone is having more fun
that you are right now. And that’s exactly what causes FOMO.

4. Unrealistic Expectations

This one probably comes as no surprise, but social media helps you to form
unrealistic expectations of life and friendships. Social media platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat can often be severely lacking online
authenticity as people only include the ‘best parts’ of their lives.

5. Negative Body Image

If you look at the most-followed accounts on Instagram, you’ll find beautiful people
wearing expensive clothes on their ‘perfect bodies’.

Today, body image is an issue for many people of both genders. Of course, seeing
those with what society says is the perfect body, sets the standards people on a
daily basis makes you conscious about how different you look from those pictures.

6. Unhealthy Sleep Patterns

On top of increased rates of anxiety and depression, spending too much time on
social media can lead to poor sleep. Numerous studies have shown that increased
use of social media has a negative effect on your sleep quality.

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7. General Addiction

Social media is often described as being more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.
With the worst social media apps being Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat when it
comes to addiction.