Why Do People Get Addicted To Instagram?

There are basically four reasons why we get addicted to Instagram — and unsurprisingly, all of them are related to vanity.

1. We enjoy taking pictures.

The Instagram platform is designed specifically to appeal to our need to capture the beauty of life in photographs.

This is believed to be driven by the fact that, in a way, photographs allow us to preserve things and memories forever, exactly the way we saw or fell in love with them.

And with the rise of numerous devices with high-quality photography capabilities, taking pictures and sharing them with our friends has become easier than ever. 

2. We get a special kind of high from taking good photos.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that your output is excellent. The great thing about Instagram is that it doesn’t just serve as a platform to show off your photography skills. It also has built-in tools that can significantly improve the quality of your photographs with just a few clicks.

From frivolous filters to fantastic fixes, you can make sure that every picture you post is Instagram-worthy.

And the idea of an Instagram-worthy post leads us to the third reason for Instagram addiction which is…

3. Shareability (a.k.a. “Will my followers like my new post?”) feeds our Instagram addiction.

Like other social media platforms, Instagram comes with the built-in functionality to leave comments or drop likes on any post you can access.

There’s a certain level of gratification we achieve from seeing people like or leave comments on our posts. It’s kind of like the digital image equivalent of telling a joke in a full room and eagerly anticipating laughter from your audience. If you can get the room roaring, your ego will be soaring. 

4. Instagram addiction is a way to escape the dreariness of everyday life 

The average Instagram feed is usually full of posts from people who aim to project that they’re living the good life.

It’s this fantasy that not only prompts us to monitor the posts of our friends, but also encourages us to edit and post similar content on a regular basis.

We humans often crave escape from our day-to-day existence. Truth is, there’s nothing quite like visual stimulation to help us get distracted.