Instagram-Using Women and the Fragility of Mental Well-being

Fazeli Bagha, Haniyeh; Dabbaghi, Hamideh

doi:10.22054/qjsd.2025.84249.2657

Instagram-Using Women and the Fragility of Mental Well-being

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Haniyeh Fazeli bagha

Hamideh Dabbaghi

https://doi.org/10.22054/qjsd.2025.84249.2657

Abstract

Instagram, with its focus on visual and video content, has become one of the most influential social media platforms. A significant portion of this content is produced by celebrities and influencers who, by showcasing their personal and professional lives, shape the attitudes and lifestyles of their audiences. This study aims to understand the experiences of female Instagram users. To achieve this goal, a qualitative research approach was employed, including semi-structured and in-depth interviews for data collection and thematic analysis for interpretation. The study was conducted with 20 women aged 18 to 45, selected through purposive, non-random sampling to ensure diversity in contextual characteristics such as education and marital status. The thematic analysis of the interviews identified one main theme: "Unstable and Reflective Mental Well-being," along with four subthemes: commodification of life, lifestyle changes, lack of perceived happiness, and re-evaluation of priorities, encompassing a total of 12 concepts. The findings indicate that female Instagram users are constantly exposed to comparison, judgment, and identity reconstruction. Their unstable mental well-being reflects a type of psychological and value-based disruption, in which the re-evaluation of identity and lifestyle occurs not out of conscious awareness, but under the hidden pressures of the culture of display on social media.

Keywords

"Women"

"Instagram"

"Mental Well-being"

"Social Comparison"

"Feeling of Unhappiness"

Subjects

۸۰/۵۰۰۰ Social Development Social Welfare Globalization Family abuse Job Satisfaction social participation

- Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2017). “Connecting With Celebrities: How Consumers Appropriate Celebrity Meanings for a Sense of Belonging”. Journal of Advertising, 46(2), 297–308.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2016.1274925

- European Parliament. (2023). “The impact of social media on women and girls: Addressing online gender-based violence and abuse”. European Parliament.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/743341/IPOL_STU(2023)743341_EN.pdf

- Festinger, L. (1954). “A theory of social comparison processes”. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202

- Kemp, S. (2024, February 23). “Digital 2024: Iran – DataReportal – Global Digital Insights”. Kepios. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-iran

- Kousari, M., & Einifar, M. (2020). “How Iranian women express themselves through social media photos: A case study of Instagram”. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 4(1), 1-26.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jcss.2020.289643.1040

- Koutroubas, V., & Galanakis, M. (2022). “Bandura’s social learning theory and its importance in the organizational psychology context”. Psychology Research, 12(6), 315–322. https://doi.org/10.17265/2159-5542/2022.06.001

- Meier, A., & Schäfer, S. (2018). The Positive Side of Social Comparison on Social Network Sites: How Envy Can Drive Inspiration on Instagram. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(7), 411-417. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0708 (Original work published 2018)

- Naeem, Z., & Hussain, T. (2022). “The influence of Instagram on the lifestyle of female youth: A case study of UMT”. Global Sociological Review, 7(2), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2022(VII-II).05

- Veenhoven, R. (2008). “How universal is happiness?” In M. Eid & R. J. Larsen (Eds.), The science of subjective well-being (pp. 38–70). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732739.003.0011

- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. (2024, September 25). “Teens, screens and mental health: New WHO report indicates need for healthier online habits among adolescents [Press release]”. World Health Organization.

https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/25-09-2024-teens-screens-and-mental-health