#InstaLife : attitudes of University students towards Instagram and its perceived effects on well-being

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the perceived effects of Instagram on well-being among university students in Malta. An online questionnaire was created and sent out to various Facebook groups with students from the University of Malta, thus a convenience sample was used, with all responses received being valid (N=222). The main findings of the study are that frequent use of Instagram may cause anxiety, depression, fear of missing out, sleep issues, bullying, loneliness, and body image issues. Furthermore, it positively influences awareness of other people’s health issues, access to expert health information, community building, self-expression, maintenance of real-world relationships, and support from friends and family. Independent variables such as age, gender, time spent on Instagram per day, and active or passive use of the platform had varying significance when tested against the aforementioned factors. All findings are detailed in the results and discussion chapters.