Follow for Follow

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Follow for Follow: An Examination of College Students, Their Social Media Use, and How

The Present Themselves

Diana Stubblefield

Mary Will Showman

Kim Vickers

Mary Cashin

Augusta University

Introduction to Research Comm 2020

Dr. Mudambi

May 8, 2019
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Follow for Follow: An Examination of College Students, Their Social Media Use, and How

The Present Themselves

Social media plays a huge role in today’s society, especially for young adults. Many

college students begin on social media as teenagers and carry it through to their adult lives.

Social media has many uses for students such as communication, entertainment, and information

sharing, to name a few. The Uses and Gratifications Theory proposes that people choose the

media they consume to satisfy certain needs. This is especially true for social media. There are

many different social media platforms including, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat,

but for our purposes we will look specifically at Instagram. Instagram is a social media platform

that focuses on photographs and their captions and is currently the most widely used platform by

college students. People also use hashtags in their captions to help draw other users to their page.

Instagram is used by college students as a personal photo album, but also to market themselves

and their content to followers, potential employers, and their peers. Instagram is used by artists

and writers as a portfolio and by other users as a resume. With the increase in employers seeking

out potential employees on social media, student users have become more careful with what they

post. It is our belief that the importance of social media in our society influences how people,

especially college students, present themselves to others. The vast majority of the population

uses social media and in today’s court of public opinion, while most followers are supportive,

many are harsh in their opinions and comments on photos. This in turn, affects how students post

photos of themselves and how critical they are of those photos. Throughout our research process,

we found these common themes: importance of maintaining an image, posting process, and how

likes and comments affect the content that students choose to post. The amount of maintenance

that goes into the posting process is greater than we previously assumed for our research. Within
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the interviewing process we found that Instagram, as a social media platform isn’t typically used

in the same way as other popular platforms. The most notable concept found in our research is

that college students care less about their physical appearance and tend to care more about the

appearance of their profiles in order to properly market themselves in a more professional way.

In order to come to this conclusion, we first found the Uses and Gratifications Theory to be

complementary to the research we wanted to conduct and looked to secondary research to

connect this theory to social media.

Literature Review

This review will be focusing specifically on how the Uses and Gratifications Theory

affects college students that participate in social media. Although research has been done looking

at the theory of uses and gratifications in terms of social media with college students and young

adults, research has not been completed across all social media platforms. This review is taking a

look at the basic theory itself in terms of the initial research of uses and gratifications as well as

looking at how the theory plays into people’s use of social media, most specifically how college

students use social media and how they present themselves.

Uses and Gratification: The Basic Concept

The basic concept of the Uses and Gratifications Theory is how people consume social

media, what type of social media they consume, and what satisfaction they receive from that use

(Pribeanu & Balog, 2017). Uses and Gratifications Theory proposes that people are “active

participants in the communication process” (Ungvarsky, 2017, p. 1) and have full control over

what media they choose to consume and why they choose to consume it. Throughout the history

of media theory, uses and gratifications is notable for its shift from the idea that media messages

have the same effect on everyone in a large audience and instead focuses on the individual
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choices made to fulfill individual needs (Griffin, Ledbetter, & Sparks, 2015, p. 355). For

example, social media users use the “follow” tool to build feeds with their specific interests.

According to the theory, audiences are strong and tend to play a significant role in deciding how

media influence will be presented (Griffin et al., 2015, p. 354). After developing the theory in

1974, Elihu Katz started asking, “What do people do with their media,” rather than “what does

media do to people” (Griffin et al., 2015, p.354).

According to Quinn (2016), “The term ‘uses and gratifications’ refers to the uses that

audiences have for employing media and the gratifications sought from media use” (p. 62). Katz

and Blumler (1974) propose the idea that because media users have control over the media they

consume, they are able to then take advantage of the media itself. Ungvarsky (2017) describes

this as the media not controlling the consumer, but the consumer controlling the media (p. 3). In

contrast the media has to compete for attention and is also unable to take advantage of them

(Ungvarsky, 2017). Katz suggests that consumers choose the media platform that best suits them

and that the media itself has no control over that choice (Ungvarsky, 2017). Ungvarsky (2017)

further explains this by stating, “The uses and gratifications theory was expanded to state that

people use a specific medium because it gratifies one of several needs that the individuals have,

and that these needs are driven by the users, not the medium” (p. 3).

Uses and gratifications can be understood in socio-cognitive terms (LaRose & Eastin,

2004). Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory acts as a model for observing the “empirical

relationship between media gratifications and media usage” (LaRose & Eastin, 2004, p. 360). In

studies of uses and gratifications, audiences are seen as extremely active, deciding what media

they want to use and the effect that they want it to have on themselves and others (Griffin et al.,

2015, p. 354). Social media provides its users with many uses and gratifications. These uses
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and/or gratifications will vary from individual to individual. When it comes to looking at the

specific uses and gratifications within social media it is important to first look at what social

media is and what motives users can have when utilizing it.

Uses and Gratifications in Social Media

Social media has grown as a communication platform over time as technology has

advanced. With the growth of the Internet, platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and

Facebook, along with many others, have become prominent parts of our society today. Carr,

Hayes, and Whon (2016) define social media as “internet-based, disentrained and persistent

channels of mass personal communication facilitating perceptions of interactions among users,

deriving value primarily from user-generated content” (p. 172). While each of these platforms is

meant for socializing, they serve different purposes for their users. Facebook is used as a method

of updating family members or friends with the status of the user’s everyday life with text posts

and pictures. Twitter is a more casual platform where people are more open to sharing things that

they might not post on Facebook. Twitter is used as a means to share jokes, political opinions,

and current events. Snapchat is a more personal interaction between close friends only. Users can

send pictures or text to their close friends. Instagram is a curated social media platform where

users can share photos, videos, texts, and stories that highlight the best parts of their lives.

Instagram has the ability to show the most unrealistic versions of people’s lives. Instagram is the

one platform out of all four where people actively try to portray and maintain a specific image.

This is why we chose to look at Instagram and research why and how it serves college students

as a social media platform.

According to Rathnayake and Winter (2018), because social media is different from other

media, the uses and gratifications are likely to be different. Existing literature states that there are
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many “studies that examine different types of uses and gratifications perceived by users”

(Rathnayake & Winter, 2018, p. 372). In previous studies, Uses and Gratification Theory, in

reference to social media, shows that uses are broken up into many motives and categories that

“include information seeking, status seeking, exposure, usefulness, socializing, entertainment,

escapism, passing time, convenience, and education” (Pribeanu & Balog, 2017, p. 85).

Communication scholar Alan Rubin referred to these as typologies; a typology is “a

classification scheme that attempts to sort a large number of specific instances into a more

manageable set of categories” (Griffin et al., 2015, p. 357). According to Hayes et al. (2016),

social media users utilize tools such as favorites, likes, shares, and upvotes (p. 172). These tools

are called Paralinguistic Digital Affordances or PDAs and give users the ability to easily

communicate with other users and provide a sense of gratification for their posts (Hayes et al.,

2016, p. 172). According to LaRose & Eastin, Flanagin and Metzger (2001) found that as the

internet becomes a more prevalent media outlet, the gratifications have also been growing at a

very fast pace (2004). Other forms of gratifications include problem solving, persuading others,

relationship maintenance, status seeking, and personal insight (LaRose & Eastin, 2004, p. 359).

Hayes et al. (2016) writes, “...individuals interpret identical messages differently

dependent on the context of the social network site in which the message is observed” (p. 173).

Social media users can add their own meanings to the likes, shares or favorites they may receive

for their posts. This suggests that users give social media sites different weights that determine

value and the amount of gratification it is able to provide them with (Hayes et al., 2016, p. 173).

Social media users recognize the posting of personal information as a way to reach the social

capital advantages social media has to offer (Quinn, 2016, pp. 62-3).
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According to LaRose and Eastin (2004), behavioral expectations can be found through

learning, observations, and self-discovery (p. 36). According to Bandura (1986), there are six

basic types of incentives for human behavior: novel sensory, social, status, monetary, enjoyable

activity, and self-reactive incentives (LaRose & Eastin, 2004). LaRose & Eastin (2004) analyzed

these incentives in conjunction with internet gratifications and revealed that conventional uses

and gratifications research underemphasized status and monetary incentives that had significant

positive correlations with internet usage (p. 360). When the needs of consumers become

understood, the different reasons for how users consume media make sense (Griffin et al., 2015,

p.354). Social media lends itself as a hub of information and communication. There are many

reasons how and why college students choose to use their social media.

College Students: Social Media Use

College students make up an extremely important population in which to study media

consumption behaviors (Diddi & LaRose, 2006). According to Quinn (2016), “Individuals use

social media for a variety of purposes; to pass time, maintain relationships, meet new people,

keep up with current trends, and gather social information” (p. 61). Research suggested that

young males don’t gain gratification from intimate social media platforms (like Snapchat) if they

lack relationships with popular social groups, and therefore use other forms of social media to

seek information that will gain them entry into certain popular social groups online (Punyanunt-

Carter, De La Cruz, & Wrench, 2017). Younger generations are needing real time information

and instant answers now more than ever (Arslan, 2018). For educational purposes, it is important

to understand why students use the social media they choose to use and the importance of that

use (Pribeanu & Balog, 2017). Social media is a way for college students to keep in touch with

their friends, but also serves as a platform in the teaching and learning process (Arslan, 2018).
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In using the more intimate social media platform Snapchat, young users are less

concerned with sharing content that presents themselves in a more composed way, but are more

concerned with sharing themselves in a more personal and genuine way to other users

(Punyanunt-Carter et al., 2017). This is due to the fact that the content shared is not permanent,

and much more private than other social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook, and

therefore, with a smaller audience viewing one’s posts or messages, people feel more inclined

and less judged to share vulnerable content (Punyanut-Carter et al., 2017). The study found that

people with high levels of communication apprehension used Snapchat more than people with

low levels and were able to meet companionship and social interaction needs through pictures

and content shared (Punyanunt-Carter et al., 2017). This research conveyed the idea that people

who are wary of face-to-face social interaction use social media to subdue social fear, and in

effect, “gratify needs” of social communication (p. 874).

Pribeanu & Balog (2017) explains that different researchers have found many reasons

that students use the internet and social media, such as information seeking, interpersonal utility,

pass time, convenience, and entertainment ( p. 85), while Quinn (2016) found companionship,

voyeur, communications, professional use, and escape (p. 81). Wang, Tchernev, and Solloway

(2012) mention solitude as a factor of the social environment that has an effect on social media

needs and uses, along with “perceived interpersonal support” of the individual who uses social

media (p. 1831). A study conducted by Papacharissi and Rubin (2000) concludes that people use

the internet as an alternative to other channels that they are no longer satisfied with, i.e. instead

of interpersonal communication (Pribeanu & Balog, 2017, p. 85). Wang et al. (2012) found that

with interpersonal support, one gains a sense of “tangible aid, self-esteem, and feelings of

belonging and attainment,”(p. 1832). In short, when one uses social media and receives support
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on their posts from peers, they gain self-esteem. Therefore, they will be inclined to post more on

social media and cater their posts to their peers to gain the gratification they seek.

Pribeanu and Balog’s (2017) model for research focused on previous studies and work

based on three identified gratifications: extending social relations, information and collaboration,

and maintaining social relations and based on those gratifications, reasons for continued

intention to use Facebook and that each of these gratifications has a positive influence on

continued use. Their study showed that all three gratifications are important to university

students, but some more than others. The most important is extending social relations. They are

more interested in learning more about the people around them and finding new relationships.

Results from the Wang et al. (2012) study with college students, their social media, and

other media usage and gratifications showed that the more solitude a student experienced, the

more that student used social media to satisfy their social, emotional, cognitive, and habitual

needs. The data from the results showed a steady trend in the relation of social media usage,

which was driven by a necessity to satisfy the four needs, as the participants experienced more or

less solitude. The study conveyed the idea that when interpersonal support was low, the social

media used to satisfy social needs increased significantly. In terms of gratification, social media

was found to only considerably gratify emotional and cognitive needs.

Research done on college aged students showed that a PDA [paralingual digital

affordance] on each platform has different meaning when it comes to gratification (Hayes et al.,

2016, p. 177). According to Hayes et al., college students “...paradoxically reported engaging in

such habitual PDA behaviors without consideration of the content, but subsequently ascribing

meaning to the PDA they received that may well have been habitually clicked by a friend” (p.

183). Hayes et al. (2016) states that some students “questioned the value of a post,” and some
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will even delete posts because of unsatisfactory results (p. 177). Wang et al. (2012) conveyed

that social media use can change one’s motivations in terms of media choices and usage, which

can simultaneously influence one’s future social media choices and use (p.1830). This is referred

to as “reciprocal causality, or mutual influence,” in which motivation and media use are mutually

influential to one another (Wang et al., 2012, p.1830). This differs from the typical perspective of

media use behaviors to their effects on “emotion, cognition, or behavior” (Wang et al., 2012, p.

1830). Hayes et al. (2016) show that college students felt happy when they posted and received

likes and unhappy when they posted and did not receive likes (p. 179). Quinn (2016) found that

college aged social media users are mindlessly taking in content, but are more thought out when

it comes to posting their own content (p. 81). Hayes et al. (2016) writes, “Participants also noted

that they utilized PDAs [paralingual digital affordances] as a form of social support. This social

support also had an aspect of social grooming, as participants would respond to others’ content

through PDAs because they felt obliged to do so as a part of relationship maintenance” (p. 179).

In conclusion, social media is a huge part of the modern college student’s life. Many

studies have shown that college students use a variety of social media sites for many different

reasons, including education, creating new social relationships, maintaining old and current

social relationships, information seeking, and passing time. However, there is a gap in the

research. Much of the research conducted asks what students get out of using social media, but it

doesn’t reflect much on the students’ use of social media to influence how they present

themselves. Also, much of the research was focused on social media as a whole and not any

specific platform. In today’s society, social media plays a massive role in the daily lives of

young adults, especially college students, and it is our belief that it affects how they present

themselves to their followers. Instagram is arguably the most popular and widely used social
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media platform used by college students today and most previous research focused on older

platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

In order to address the gap left in previous research, the following research question is

proposed:

RQ1: How does college students’ use of social media, specifically Instagram, present a

particular image?

Methodology

The target population for this study consists of college students in the United States that

use Instagram. The sampling frame is Augusta University college students between the ages of

18-23 that use Instagram. We used convenience sampling and, in at least one case, snowball

sampling. Compared to other sampling methods, convenience sampling was the best option

because we had immediate access to traditional college aged students on campus at Augusta

University. To recruit we simply asked students that we knew if they would participate in the

study. A challenge that came up for each of us was being able to get four people to participate in

the interviews. Snowball sampling helped address this problem. According to Davis and Lachlan

(2017), snowball sampling “asks study participants to make referrals to other potential

participants” (p. 152).

In-depth interviews were used as the method of data collection. The in-depth interviews

allowed for participants to go into detail about their use of Instagram and the image they present

to their followers. In-depth interviews will also give us the opportunity “to understand his or her

history and version of the story and the ways that he or she makes sense of his or her actions in

the context of his or her cultural narratives” (Davis & Lachlan, 2017, p. 319). For this research

project it was imperative that we spoke to the participants in a comfortable setting without the
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added pressure of feeling overwhelmed or being influenced by others which most likely would

have happened if we chose focus groups.

We interviewed sixteen traditional college students at Augusta University. Each

participant was given a consent form to sign. The consent form can be seen below in Appendix

A. We interviewed 4 males and 12 females. In some cases, our participants had more than one

Instagram account. Each interview was conducted separately in quiet areas to protect participant

confidentiality. All interviews averaged 45 minutes. Each interviewee was given a pseudonym to

protect identity. Information about the participants can be found in Appendix B. Some

challenges faced when it came to interviewing were participants that still felt nervous to answer

questions truthfully. To address this we had to reassure them that the interview was casual like a

conversation and that we would do everything we could to keep the interview confidential.

Data was analyzed through transcription of interviews. Each interview was captured

using a voice recorder app then transcribed by each interviewer. Transcriptions were scanned for

similarities across all interviews. Recurring themes throughout interviews and research of prior

knowledge lends credibility to our findings.

Data Analysis and Findings

After completing our interviews three main themes emerged. We discovered that

maintaining image, the posting process, and how likes and comments affected each participant

were factors in the image they chose to present on Instagram. We expected to learn more about

how Instagram affected self perception, body image in particular, and were surprised by the

actual outcome.

Maintaining Image
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Throughout our interviewing process, the data collected indicated that as students age

their appearance becomes less of a priority, but the way they market themselves became more

important. Any art and content they post is perfectly curated. Most participants stated that it is

important for them to maintain a certain aesthetic throughout their profile. They post pictures

that they like, but they edit the photos to have a cohesive theme. One participant, Nicole, 20, has

two Instagram accounts, one for her blog and one personal account. When it comes to the

difference in aesthetics of both accounts she stated, “On my blog account I post more I guess

cohesive images. I think about location, what the background looks like, and I’m more aware of

what the photo looks like versus my personal account which is more of my friends and personal

life.” This evidence indicates that the participant, Nicole, runs her blog account as a professional

business and it is important for her to present herself as such through her posts. Nicole also

mentioned in her interview that her personal account is private so only people she allows to

follow her can as opposed to her blog account which is public and anyone has access to viewing

it.

Another participant, Sarah, 21, revealed that she typically will post pictures that she

genuinely likes instead of what will get her the most likes from her followers, but still focuses on

the aesthetic of her feed. In her interview she stated, “I guess sometimes I try to think about just

posting something because I like the photo, but I think oftentimes it turns into is it gonna look

good with everything else that I have on my page? I think like in the back of our mind, a lot of us

do that.” The data collected from Sarah shows, again, that it is important for the participants to

project a specific image of themselves onto this social media platform. This focus on the overall

aesthetic of one’s profile is the one aspect of Sarah’s use of Instagram that has stayed constant
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since she started her profile, as she focuses less on the engagement, but still finds it important to

have one cohesive theme on her page.

In regards to our research question, we found that maintaining a well put together image

is important to participants. Having a theme and specific aesthetic is one of the top priorities of

everyone we spoke to. As participants went through different stages of the growth and maturity

process, they seemed to lose the sense of caring about what their followers think about them and

the photos they post. While many of them stressed that what others think doesn’t factor into what

they post, the import that they place on image as well as their posting process, suggests

otherwise.

Posting Process

In interviews, participants said that how they brand themselves is more important to them

than their body image; however, when it came to discussing the process in which they post

pictures on Instagram participants contradicted previous statements by describing very long

detailed processes. This indicated that whether or not they are conscious of it, there may be some

part of them that cares about how they look. The process for all interviewees is to take multiple

pictures, find acceptable photos, edit those photos, in some instances send options to friends,

think of captions, and then post. The amount of time participants spend on each post varies from

30 minutes to a week, proving that they put more thought and effort into their process than they

initially believed.

Rachel, 21, said that sometimes she finds herself spending a lot of time crafting posts,

using filters, and coming up with clever captions for each photo. She said that there is an

unwritten rule on Instagram that you shouldn’t post too much which causes her to put more

thought and care into the pictures that she does post. Lilli, 23, manages two Instagram accounts,
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one personal and one for her Cosplay. She said that she puts much less time and thought into her

personal account because it is just for her, her friends, and her family. She puts a lot more energy

into the upkeep of her Cosplay account because it is open to strangers and therefore more

criticism. She expressed that she wants to be sure the photos are as perfect as they can be. Lilli

stated, “It usually takes me anywhere from 5-30 minutes to post a picture. For my Cosplay

account I research the character that I am and find a quote for that, give credit to the

photographer or any friends that are in the picture with me, and then I have to list all of the

hashtags that I need to get more people to look at my picture, so it usually takes longer.”

For Sarah, 21, the time it takes to post a picture depends on the photo and what she’s

trying to say in the post. For more serious and personal posts it takes her longer to think of

captions and make sure the post fits with her aesthetic. For more casual posts of family or friends

it takes around 20 minutes to think of a caption and decide on a photo. “Generally when I’m

posting a picture, there’s a lot of, I guess like thinking that goes on of: Who would like the

picture? Is my caption going to fit with the picture? What do I need to say with this picture?”

Effects of Likes and Comment

A common attitude among the interviewees was a feeling that getting a lot of likes

doesn’t make someone feel worse about themselves, but has little to no effect on them. Although

it didn’t apply to them, some of the students noted that they had friends who would post at

specific times of day because they were told certain times produced more traffic on the platform

and would get them more likes. As far as comments are concerned the students enjoyed getting

comments on their posts as a way to connect with others, as well as having something to look

back on. For students who had instagram feeds based more on art such as the graphic design
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student, Justin, 18, likes on a picture can help him understand which pieces of his work are more

effective than others.

One participant, Lily, 20, explained how her perception of likes and comments changed

from high school to college. She was able to recognize the importance of likes and comments in

high-school culture that caused people to compare themselves to their classmates based on the

amount of likes and comments they got. Now in college, Lily has revealed that the importance of

likes and comments has changed, “In college I don’t care at all, but there’s still like a part of me

that cares, but not enough to do anything about it because I know it’s like: Am I posting this for

other people or am I posting it for myself?”

Chris, 22, thinks that getting likes on Instagram affects self esteem. He believes that

seeing people like or not like your picture changes the way you feel about yourself in that

moment. Chris stated, “People like those little hearts, you know? It makes you feel good about

yourself whenever you post a picture and you get 40 or 50 little hearts. You sit there and you

think Wow! People actually do care about what I post. People care about what's going on in my

life. Then when you get less little hearts on a photo, you're like ok. People didn't care as much.”

Discussion and Conclusion

The biggest conclusion we were able to draw from our research is that as the user gets

older their use of the social media for personal gratification decreases. We found that as they got

older how they looked physically mattered less and the importance of personal image and how

they presented themselves on social media increased. When we began our research our question

was focused on how Instagram affects the body images of college students, however, our results

led us to change the question to “How does college students’ use of social media, specifically

Instagram, present a particular image?” For many, their Instagram accounts became a way to
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show off their art and other work rather than themselves. Almost all of the participants stated that

they were not as concerned with what other people think in terms of likes and comments,

however, when they answered questions about the posting process and how they maintain an

image, it directly contradicted their previous statements.

This research took a closer look into one specific platform as opposed to previous

research that focused on the general Uses and Gratifications of multiple social media platforms,

not just Instagram. We found that if we chose to focus on multiple platforms as opposed to just

Instagram, the data and findings would be much more complex because the participants used

each platform differently. Although the data from interviews with the limited number of

participants is adequate, future research could focus on interviewing a much larger sample size,

interviewing more college students, and even expanding the parameters to other institutions. This

research raises the question, how does Instagram compare to other social media sites in terms of

the Uses and Gratifications and emphasis on body image? Does Instagram have the most impact

on body image and self-esteem or do other social media platforms like Facebook have more of

an impact?
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Appendix A

COMM 2020 INTRO TO RESEARCH

DR. ANJANA MUDAMBI
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
CONSENT FORM FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPATION

Study Title: Follow for Follow: An Examination of College Students, Their Social Media Use,
and How It Affects Their Perception of Themselves

Student Research Team Members: Kim Vickers, Mary Cashin, Diana Stubblefield, Mary Will
Showman

I am a student at Augusta University, in the Department of Communication. I am working with a

research team to conduct a research study, which I invite you to take part in. This form has
important information about the reason for doing this study, what we will ask you to do if you
decide to be in this study, and the way we would like to use information about you if you choose
to be in the study.

Why are you doing this study?

You are being asked to participate in a research study about college students’ use of social
media, specifically Instagram, and how it affects their self-image, particularly body image.
The purpose of the study is to gain knowledge about how students see themselves as a result of
what they follow, what they post, and how others react to their posts on social media.

What will I do if I choose to be in this study?

You will be asked to answer in depth questions about your Instagram use, your feelings about the
content you post and the likes and comments it receives, and what pages influence you the most
and why you follow them.

We will ask you to answer each question as truthfully and completely as possibly. Some of the
questions may be uncomfortable to answer, but in order to have an accurate study we need
completely truthful answers.

Study time: Study participation will take approximately one session for 45-60 minutes.

Study location: All study procedures will take place at a location convenient for you.
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I would like to audio-record this interview to make sure that I remember accurately all the
information you provide. These recordings will only be used by the members involved in this
study. This will not be optional as we need to be as accurate as possible.

I may quote your remarks in the final paper for my Research course and the final research
presentation to be made to the class. A pseudonym will be used to protect your identity, unless
you specifically request that you be identified by your true name.

What are the possible risks or discomforts?

Possible risks to participating in this study are emotional discomfort as we are asking questions
that require you to look deep into your reasons for posting certain content, and your feelings on
the reactions of others to those posts. You may feel emotional or upset when answering some of
the questions. Tell the interviewer at any time if you wish to take a break or stop the interview.
You may be uncomfortable with some of the questions and topics we will ask about. If you are
uncomfortable, you are free to not answer or to skip to the next question. Keep in mind that risks
are not always immediate -- anger, emotional upset, or stress may appear later.

As with all research, there is a chance that confidentiality of the information we collect from you
could be breached – we will take steps to minimize this risk, as discussed in more detail below in
this form.

What are the possible benefits for me or others?

You are not likely to have any direct benefit from being in this research study. This study is
designed to learn more about how college students using Instagram perceive themselves and
their body image due to reaction to their content. The study results may be used to help other
people in the future.

How will you protect the information you collect about me, and how will that information
be shared?
Results of this study will be used only for the purposes of the course. If we share the data that we
collect about you for this purpose, we will remove any information that could identify you before
we share it. Individual names and other personally identifiable information will not be used.
Your study data will be handled as confidentially as possible.

To minimize the risks to confidentiality, we will secure consent forms and only discuss results
with research team members and our professor

What are my rights as a research participant?

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Participation in this study is voluntary. You do not have to answer any question you do not want
to answer. If at any time and for any reason, you would prefer not to participate in this study,
please feel free not to. If at any time you would like to stop participating, please tell me. We can
take a break, stop and continue at a later date, or stop altogether. You may withdraw from this
study at any time, and you will not be penalized in any way for deciding to stop participation.
If you decide to withdraw from this study, any information collected from you will not be used.

Who can I contact if I have questions or concerns about this research study?
If you have questions, you are free to ask them now. If you have questions later, you may contact
the researchers at Kim Vickers (619)618-6808, kvickers@augusta.edu, Diana Stubblefield (803)-
634-7460 or dstubblefield@augusta.edu, Mary Will Showman (706)945-9161 or
mshowman@augusta.edu, Mary Cashin (706) 941-2059 or mcashin@augusta.edu. You may also
contact the course instructor Dr. Anjana Mudambi at amudambi@augusta.edu.

Consent
I have read this form and the research study has been explained to me. I have been given the
opportunity to ask questions and my questions have been answered. If I have additional
questions, I have been told whom to contact. I agree to participate in the research study described
above and will receive a copy of this consent form.

______________________________________________________
Participant’s Name (printed)

______________________________________________________ ________________
Participant’s Signature Date
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Appendix B

Lilli- Female, Senior, 23 years old

Chris- Male- Senior, 22 years old

Stephen- Male, Sophomore, 21 years old

Rachel- Female, Junior, 21 years old

Katie- Female, Junior, 21 years old

Nicole- Female, Sophomore, 20 years old

Courtney- Female, Junior, 21 years old

Brittany- Female, Senior, 22 years old

Sarah- Female, Sophomore, 21 years old

Lily- Female, Sophomore, 20 years old

Kim- Female, Junior, 22 years old

Isabelle-Female, Junior 21 years old

Taylor-Female, Sophomore, 21 years old

Justin-Male, Freshman, 18 years old

Sam- Male, Sophomore, 20 years old

Anna- Female, Sophomore, 20 years old

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Appendix C

1. Tell me about your use of Instagram.

2. What were your reasons for creating your instagram?

3. What is the process for you posting a picture on instagram.

a. How much time do you take to post

4. How do you decide to post pictures of yourself (specifically) on Instagram?

5. In what ways do the people you follow influence the content you post?

6. How would you compare your Instagram page to your friends’ pages?

7. Can you explain how important it is for you to have a theme/aesthetic throughout your

(personal) feed?

8. How do likes influence what you post and what you remove from Instagram?

9. Tell me about your favorite post on your instagram page.

10. What makes a photo that you take worthy enough to be posted on instagram?

11. In what ways has your instagram page changed since you began using it?

12. How do you feel when you look back over posts from your past?

13. Can you explain how you or someone might feel pressure to delete pictures from your

past.

14. Can you think of a time you felt pressured to look a certain way in your pictures?

15. How does Instagram, relating to body image, affect how you see yourself?
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