“Follow my Finsta”: Drinking trajectories in relation to auxiliary Instagram accounts

Abstract

Objective

This study explored the burgeoning youth practice of possessing a fake, secondary Instagram account known as a “Finsta” in relation to exposure to alcohol-related content and college drinking.

Participants

First-year university students with at least a primary Instagram account (N = 296) completed online surveys.

Method

Surveys assessed whether participants did or did not have a Finsta pre-matriculation (T1), Instagram alcohol content exposure one month into college (T2), and alcohol use at T1 and near the end of the first year (T3).

Results

Moderated mediation analysis revealed that having a Finsta at T1 was associated with greater exposure to alcohol-related posts at T2 and, for male but not female students, predicted heavier drinking at T3.

Conclusion

Findings are consistent with previous results suggesting that males may be more behaviorally impacted by peers’ depictions of alcohol use on social media. This carries implications for social media-based intervention efforts targeting first-year students.

Keywords:

• College student drinking
• gender differences
• Instagram
• social media

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the United States of America and received approval from Loyola Marymount University.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the NIH/NIAAA under award number R21AA024853.