Does desire thinking mediate the influence of in-group identity as an Instagram user on components of problematic Instagram use?
Open accessAbstract
• Desire-based thoughts about personal Instagram use mediates the effects of Instagram use identity on problematic use. • Desire thinking and its imaginal prefiguration component fully mediate the influence of identity centrality on problem use. • Imaginal prefiguration partially mediates the effect of identity centrality on withdrawal but not compulsivity. • Verbal perseveration desire thinking partially mediates the effect of identity centrality on only withdrawal symptoms. • Chronic saliency of being an Instagram user is fundamental for problem use via Instagram use desire-based thoughts. Desire-based thinking is associated with the magnitude and severity of problematic social media use. One’s ingroup identity has also been shown to be related to problematic behaviour including excessive social media use. Recent work showed that different factors predicted either compulsivity or withdrawal-based aspects of problematic Instagram. For compulsivity symptoms, negative metacognitions and the verbal perseveration component of desire thinking (i.e., persistent repetition of self-talk about the need to achieve a desired goal) were essential. In contrast, for withdrawal symptoms identity centrality (and no other dimensions of identity) and imaginal prefiguration (i.e., thoughts related to the mental images of a desired target or of its context for consumption) were the only predictors. The current study extended this work by testing whether the direct effects of components of ingroup identity as an Instagram user ( N = 200) on increasing problematic use was also accounted for indirectly as a function of increasing desire-based thoughts as an active mediator, and whether these effects differed as a function of desire thinking component (i.e., imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration). Results showed that for overall problematic Instagram use desire thinking and the imaginal prefiguration component were found to fully mediate the influence of one ingroup self-investment aspect of identity, namely centrality i.e., chronicity of being an Instagram ingroup member for one’s experienced identity. Total desire thinking was also shown to fully mediate the effects of identity centrality only for that component of problematic Instagram use that reflected compulsivity-type symptoms and to be a partial mediator for withdrawal-type symptoms. Imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration desire thinking components were both shown to partially mediate the effect of identity centrality on withdrawal symptoms but not show any mediating influence for compulsivity. These results reemphasise the primary significance of identity centrality (and ingroup self-investment processes) in accounting for variability in problematic Instagram use but also detail the importance of desire thinking factors as mediating its expression.
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Instagram addiction behaviors are particularly prevalent among adolescents and young adults.
“These behaviors are particularly prevalent among adolescents and young adults, who are still navigating their identity and social relationships (Albery et al. 2025;Rogier et al. 2024).”
From The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age (2025) · cites this paper as Albery et al. 2025
The dynamic of tying self-worth to online feedback is particularly pronounced among younger Instagram users.
“This dynamic is particularly pronounced among younger users, whose sense of self-worth may become increasingly tied to the feedback they receive online (Albery et al. 2025).”
From The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age (2025) · cites this paper as Albery et al. 2025
The finding that users aged 16-24 showed significantly higher prevalence of social comparison themes (χ2=8.76, p<0.01) directly parallels research by Albery et al. (2025) and Andraos et al. (2025).
“Our finding that users aged 16-24 showed significantly higher prevalence of social comparison themes (χ²=8.76,p<0.01) directly parallels research by Albery et al. (2025) and Andraos et al. (2025).”
From The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age (2025) · cites this paper as Albery et al. (2025)
Lower self-esteem, depression, and a compulsive need for validation through likes and comments are particularly evident among younger Instagram users.
“Additionally, lower self-esteem, depression, and a compulsive need for validation through likes and comments have been particularly evident among younger users, who are navigating the challenges of identity formation (Albery et al. 2025).”
From The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age (2025) · cites this paper as Albery et al. 2025
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- Authors
- Albery, I. P., Divrova, K. I., Frings, D., & Spada, M. M.
- Affiliations
- London South Bank University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Albery, Ian P.
- Venue
- Addictive Behaviors
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2025-07
- Volume
- 166
- Pages
- 108336
- ISSN
- 0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4408733691
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 5.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Keywords
- Instagram use, social media addiction, desire thinking, ingroup identification, identity centrality, verbal perseveration, withdrawal symptoms, compulsivity, self-investment
- MeSH terms
- Internet Addiction Disorder, Adolescent, Adult, Compulsive Behavior, Female, Humans, Libido, Male, Middle Aged, Social Identification, Thinking, Young Adult, Social Media
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