Why Is Instagram So Addictive?

Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms after Facebook. Can you imagine that it has more than 2 billion active users out of the 7 billion population of this Earth? More specifically, mobile users love to keep it open all the time. They keep scrolling through its feed for hours every day due to the flashy photos, appealing design, and influencer-sponsored marketing.

If I just talk about statistics, Instagram got the number four in terms of the most used and popular social media sites. According to the demographics, Instagram is a favorite platform among young adults. This is because more than 60% of Instagram users are aged 18-34. Moreover, if you spend over 30 minutes a day on Instagram, you are definitely using it too much (or addictively). There are numerous distinct reasons why Instagram is so addictive. 

Today, I’ve decided to expand this guide to find what are the major reasons behind why Instagram is so addictive. Let’s follow in the footsteps of this article to get more awareness of having healthier relationships with the Instagram platform.

It Creates Habit Loops:

Instagram is such an addictive platform because it encourages the end users to stay hooked for a longer time through the model known as the habit loop. In simple words, it uses rewards, routines, and cues to let you stay more and more on your Instagram news feed. Interestingly, this type of application uses many cues to urge the users to come back.

One of the most obvious tricks that is used to keep you in this habit loop is through a notification. Moreover, the constant notifications from your Instagram accounts will keep triggering you. It will alert you to every minor interaction – from someone going live right now to a simple thing like a reaction to your recent comment. Once you are in the app, it is easy to get sucked in and stay engaged with content through follows, likes, comments, and shares.

Thus, all these activities trigger a feel-good response in your brain. As a result, you spend hours on Instagram without any consciousness of why you are doing it. I was a victim of the habit loop model in 2021 and I immediately quit this habit after realizing that discipline is very important even while using social media. The second reason given below is also a bit similar to this one.

Creating Variable Rewards:

Did you know dopamines are the happy hormones or chemicals that get released when we do something interesting in our dictionary? Most people get addicted to excessive happiness due to the release of dopamine. So, they start doing that same act again and again to get a boost of dopamine.

For example, you watch an interesting or a funny post on Instagram. Now, your brain gives you a burst of dopamine as a reward for watching that interesting and funny meme. In the language of science and psychology, it is called a variable reward effect. It is a psychological trigger similar to hitting a jackpot on a slot machine.

If you repeat those activities that boost your dopamine level, they start making neural pathways and keep you stuck in that activity. In this case, excessive and addictive use of Instagram is the outcome of this effect. After some time, it becomes difficult to break this bond with the application and people start neglecting their real lives due to Instagram addiction.

Social Comparison:

Did you ever feel like you are missing watching the latest updates of your favorite Instagram influencer? Or, did you feel anxious about immediately looking for the next post of your fiance or friend and what they are doing online? If YES, you are experiencing FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

You can think of it like Instagram social sites thrive on this phenomenon. It uses your fear to keep you indulging in the insights into what else is happening here. In this way, you start wasting your time, feeling more emotionally depleted, and keeping away from your healthy daily routine.

So…this is all I know about this topic. What do you think are the other reasons behind why Instagram is so addictive? Share your views in the comments section!