The psychology behind Instagram likes

By Pol Allingham via SWNS

Friends will always "like" Instagram posts - but you have to “earn” a "like" from an acquaintance, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Bath in the UK claim our relationships dictate whether or not we click like.

Liking acquaintances' posts is a reciprocal relationship - we like someone’s photo because they liked ours, and if they ignore our post we’ll probably ignore theirs.

Energy and enthusiasm from an acquaintance's "like" drive us to hit the button in return.

However, unlike distant contacts, good friends like one another’s photos to maintain a friendship.

This stays the same even if their close pal liked or ignored their previous post.

The urge to like isn't being spurred by feeling great from receiving a like, rather it is “part of a bigger picture” of friendship.

Likes between pals strengthens the bond between two people.

Dr. Kseniya Stsiampkouskaya, from the university’s School of Management, said: “People who are good friends give likes to each other as a way of keeping the relationship going - it’s something they’ll do whether the other person has liked their last post or ignored it.

“The action of giving a like can be seen as a small building block that supports the friendship and strengthens the bond between two people.

“This means that social media users engage in "social grooming" - behavior aimed at maintaining social structures and relationships.

“If you share something on social media, you can expect a like from your close friend even if you missed their previous post.

“Liking between close friends is not about direct reciprocity, it is about the bigger picture - their friendship and connection.

“For acquaintances, however, the situation is different.

“Acquaintances do not have the same social obligations towards each other as close friends, so they tend to mirror each other’s behaviors.

“Receiving a like from an acquaintance triggers our norm of reciprocity, so we are more likely to return the kindness and give a like back.

“However, if this acquaintance didn’t like our previous post, we will probably do the same and just ignore their future posts.”

A group of people were handed a questionnaire-based simulation of Instagram, where they had to choose whether or not to return a like to a friend or acquaintance.

Researchers then used statistical modeling techniques to assess participants’ emotional reactions.

Scientists chose 201 people, 71 percent of whom were women, from the UK, US, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Members were allotted to one of four groups: receiving a like from a close friend, not receiving a like from a close friend, receiving a like from an acquaintance, and not receiving a like from an acquaintance.

Scientists acknowledged that how close the relationship is influences whether or not we hit like.

However, they added this could also be swayed by demographics, personality traits, enjoyment, personal brand management and information sharing.

They say the study, in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, is an “important stepping-stone” in understanding users’ behavior.

Ultimately the experts hope it will optimize social media algorithms and help them boost connections and relationship-building tools.

Dr. Stsiampkouskaya said: “Understanding how relational closeness affects user behaviour can help brands and businesses create effective engagement strategies, fostering the culture of cooperation and co-creation on social media.

“Last but not least, the knowledge of why and how people give likes on social media can ease the pressure of social comparison, increase users’ self-awareness, and help them engage with platforms in a more mindful way.”