Social Media Usage, Self-Presentation, Narcissism, and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Instagram Addiction: An Intercultural Comparison

Instagram is a social media tool that increases in the number and popularity of users. Providing information about events and people, entertainment and relaxation, maintaining relationships, personal presentation, interacting with different identities, making new friendships and making life easier in many respects from photography to video, from live broadcast to instant story sharing, the excessive, unnecessary use of Instagram causes addiction problems. This research is designed to compare Turkish and Malaysian college students’ Instagram addiction level; and, relationships between Instagram addiction level and their level of narcissism, self-esteem, self-presentation, usage patterns in terms of exhibiting the situation in two different cultures. Data were obtained from 403 participants by face-to-face questionnaire. As a result of the study, it was found that the level of Instagram addiction did not differ significantly according to the gender of the participants. Depending on the country in which they live, Instagram addiction levels vary significantly. Instagram addiction levels of Malaysian participants is higher than students in Turkey. The result that self-presentation and social media usage time is a positively significant predictor on Instagram addiction whereas self-esteem level is a negatively significant predictor stands out. The level of narcissism was not significant.