Navigating the Information Overload of Instagram: The Role of Motivation and Gender in Shaping Life Satisfaction

Using the stimulus–organism–response model as a framework, this study investigates (a) the relationship between motivations and Instagram use, (b) the relationship between Instagram use and life satisfaction, which has controversial findings in the literature, (c) the previously ignored relationship between Instagram use and perceived information overload (IO), (d) the relationship between perceived IO and life satisfaction and (e) finally, the moderating role of gender on Instagram use and life satisfaction. To understand how the relationships between motivations, Instagram use and life satisfaction are shaped, this study aims to quantitatively investigate the relationships between motivations, Instagram use and life satisfaction. A total of 403 Instagram users participated in this cross-sectional study in which data were collected through an online survey. It was found that Instagram use was negatively associated with life satisfaction. On the other hand, Instagram use is positively associated with seeking convenience and seeking entertainment motivations. It was discovered that gender played a moderating role in the association between Instagram use and life satisfaction. For male users, the link between Instagram use and life satisfaction was negative, whereas this relationship was negligible for female users. The study contributes to resolving contradictory results in the relationship between Instagram use and/or other platforms and life satisfaction in rare studies.