Finstagram: High School Students and Their Private Instagram Accounts

Abstract

A rising trend among teenagers are private social media accounts that are held separately from a user's public profile. This research investigated how and why high school students used one type of account, Finsta accounts, and if Finsta account holders view social media use differently from users who do not have Finsta accounts. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 124 high school students. Students typically defined Finsta accounts as those reserved for close friends and are used for posting rants, illegal activities, explicit photos, and expression of emotion. Advantages of Finsta accounts include safe spaces for teens to express their "real" selves, and disadvantages include lack of full privacy and unwanted sharing. In general, students did not think it is acceptable to post elicit behavior on social media even on Finsta accounts; however, they do not think they are obligated to report such elicit behavior (means from 1.83 to 1.96). Finsta users perceived their roles and obligations differently than their peers who do not have Finsta accounts. Implications include better understanding of how parents and schools can create policies and safeguards for misuse, as well as ways to foster positive use of private social media accounts.