Just looking - not doing it yourself?! How users use Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social media channels worldwide. In Germany alone, the platform currently has over 15 million users - and the trend is rising. A GfK survey commissioned by Greven Medien shows how users use Instagram and who they follow. Greven Medien is a German 360-degree service provider that offers advice on local marketing in the online and offline sectors, as well as other services such as website creation, search engine advertising and optimization, and social media offerings.

72 percent of respondents use Instagram rather passively: they prefer to look at other people's content rather than post their own. Among men, the channel does not yet seem to have established itself: Almost half of the male respondents (48 percent) say they do not use Instagram at all. Interestingly, just under 43 percent of Instagram users follow well-known brands, companies or online stores. This confirms the attractiveness of the platform as a marketing channel for companies and brands.

The survey shows: The popular photo app is (still?) mainly used by women. Almost half of the men surveyed (48 percent) say they don't use Instagram at all. The social media platform is most popular among 14- to 19-year-olds: Almost 90 percent of respondents from this age group use the app. But the app has also caught on with the older generation: 40 percent of 40- to 49-year-olds say they use Instagram.

Instagram content: consuming instead of creating?

The study also shows that many Instagram users prefer to consume the content of others rather than publish their own content. Only 28 percent of respondents post their own pictures and stories on the app. Here, the youngest generation is the most active with 54 percent. 72 percent of respondents look at pictures and videos from other users instead of posting content themselves. Posts from friends, acquaintances or celebrities are particularly popular (45 percent). Around a third (30 percent) of respondents want to be entertained on Instagram, and just under one in four (24 percent) find inspiration for favorite topics and trends in the app.

"Instagram describes itself as a platform where you can give free rein to your creativity. This makes the results of our study all the more interesting, which show that many Instagram users prefer to follow the content of others instead of creating their own content. Less than a third (28 percent) of respondents post pictures, videos and Stories on Instagram themselves. The majority of respondents (72 percent) use the app more as consumers and prefer to look at others' posts," comments Patrick Hünemohr, Managing Director of Greven Medien.

Respondents also use Instagram to find out about products, brands and companies (19 percent), the latest news (16 percent), and tips and recommendations on local activities, restaurants, stores and attractions (13 percent).

Instagram as an attractive marketing channel

The majority of Instagram users follow friends, acquaintances and family members (79 percent). This is followed immediately by celebrities such as athletes, artists, models or bloggers (60 percent). In third place are well-known brands, companies and online stores. "43 percent of the Instagram users surveyed follow brands, companies and online stores on the platform. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) even say they have already taken advantage of offers from local retailers or stores, such as discounts, daily deals or competitions on Instagram. This underlines the attractiveness of Instagram as a marketing channel for companies," says Hünemohr, digital marketing expert.

Many smaller and local businesses have recognized this and are increasingly using Instagram as a communication and promotion channel. And this is finding favor: A quarter of the Instagram users surveyed follow restaurants, cafés or bars. 21 percent are interested in the Instagram content of boutiques for fashion, shoes or accessories, and 18 percent follow stores for furniture and decorative items on Instagram. But service providers such as beauty salons, hair salons or tattoo studios/tattoo artists also appear in users' Instagram feed (13 percent).

Instagram predominantly in women's hands

The results of the study underscore: Instagram seems (still?) to be predominantly in women's hands. 34 percent of female respondents are active on Instagram and post photos and videos themselves, compared to only 22 percent of men. Women primarily want to be entertained (34 percent). In their Instagram feeds, they find out about current trends and get inspiration on their favorite topics (31 percent). The entertainment factor also plays a big role for a quarter of the male respondents. While women follow boutiques (30 percent), male users are more interested in media such as daily newspapers and magazines (28 percent) on the app. And although just under half of the men surveyed say they don't use Instagram at all, 63 percent of actual users take advantage of offers from local retailers, 26 percent even frequently.

About Greven Medien GmbH & Co. KG

As a 360-degree service provider, Greven Medien offers expert advice on local marketing in the online and offline sectors, as well as other services such as website creation, search engine advertising and optimization, and social media offerings. Greven Medien maintains over 28,000 customer relationships in the Rhineland.

[1] Nationwide representative GfK online survey of 500 women and men aged 14 and older, 2018.