Instagram Usage and Sense of Purpose in Life : The Moderating Effect of User Behavior

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between Instagram usage intensity and sense of purpose in life of university students. Additionally, a possible moderating effect of active and passive usage behavior was investigated. An online survey was conducted, gathering data about university students Instagram usage intensity, their usage behavior, and their sense of purpose in life. The final sample consisted of 75 participants who were contacted via convenience sampling. By conducting a linear regression and two moderator analyses, an insignificant result was observed regarding the relationship of Instagram usage intensity and sense of purpose in life, whereas both active and passive usage significantly, but only slightly moderated the relationship positively. Different limitations, such as the rather small sample size or the possibly slightly outdated Instagram-adapted version of the Passive and Active Use Measure, might explain these findings. Future research should continue to build the knowledge about social media and sense of purpose in life, and this study could be treated as a starting point for further exploration.