The Impact of Reviewing Instagram Posts on Episodic Memory: What Do Instagram Users Recall About Their Posted Pictures?

Social media platforms have transformed the way individuals document and revisit personal experiences. We conducted a study of Instagram, one of the most popular mobile social media platforms (about 95 million images are uploaded daily) to investigates the impact of reviewing Instagram posts on episodic memory—the ability to recall specific events and details. Fifty Instagram users participated in a questionnaire-based study, where they were prompted to recall memories associated with three of their posted images across six prompts: story (the story of the event), location, time, people, before/after events, and order. Results revealed significant variations in recall accuracy: participants were better at recalling the story of the events and associated people compared to the temporal details (the timing) of the event (H = 157.04, p < 0.000). A weak but statistically significant correlation (r = 0.66, p < 0.001) was observed between the number of likes a post received and participants’ ability to recall event details. Higher social engagement thus appears to enhance recall accuracy, highlighting the role of social reinforcement in memory processes. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effect of the non-ephemeral platform "Instagram" use on episodic memory. While the study offers promising evidence of Instagram’s cognitive benefits, further research is needed to explore long-term implications and the interplay between social engagement and episodic memory.