Abstract
Instagram, the largest growing social network site today, has grown exponentially since its launch in 2010. Mental health challenges, particularly anxiety and major depressive disorder in those aged 16 to 30 have been associated with Instagram’s popularity. Depression is of particular interest to health care providers within the public health sector: it affects 264 million people globally; suicide is the second most common cause of death in 18 to 29-year-olds. This age group also constitutes the main demographic group of Instagram users. A narrative review was conducted on peer-reviewed articles between January 2019-July 2020 to analyze Instagram use and its association with depression, and using it as a tool to diagnose depression. PubMed, EBSCO, NCBI, NIH, and Google Scholar were used to source articles published between 2015-2020. The narrative review focused on four primary papers. The first study looked at the social comparison theory, while the second and third studies used screening questionnaires in conjunction with analyzing an individual’s Instagram content into text-based scores. The fourth study analyzed the content of photos which were posted to give insight into an individual’s status regarding depressive states. Accounting for 18 to 30 year olds’ Instagram usage into how they engaged with content can accurately screen for, and diagnose depression.
Highlights
Ten years ago, a social media platform was launched that would revolutionize how people engaged with one another on the Internet (Mackson & Brochu 2019)
A primary research article published by Ha Sung Hwang was selected to demonstrate the link between increased Instagram use and depression in university students in South Korea
One hundered nineteen males and One hundred twenty-six females, with an average age of 22.5 years were asked to answer questions based on their Instagram use, activity, and social comparisons (Hwang, 2019)
Summary
A social media platform was launched that would revolutionize how people engaged with one another on the Internet (Mackson & Brochu 2019). Smart phones have played a huge role in increased contact to social network sites (SNS). 30% of the time individuals spend on their phones are on social network sites in general (Lin et al, 2016). People share various content from personal thoughts, accomplishments, travels, and relationships on their profiles. This communication has fostered a sense of community and the ability for individuals to fulfill specific social needs like selfexpression, self-perception, and self-representation, which lead to positive outcomes like increased self-esteem; and a sense of belonging and connectedness (Hwang, 2019; Mackson & Brochu, 2019)
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