Is Like-Seeking a Form of Conspicuous Consumption? Investigating Trait Antecedents of Normative and Deceptive Like-Seeking on Instagram

Instagram presents opportunities for marketers to encourage people to post about their products and brands. However, sometimes individuals post because they are simply Like-seeking, cognisant that the number of Likes received from others is a social currency and a means to signal popularity and status to others. In this context, this paper proposes Instagram Like-seeking as a modern form of conspicuous consumption as, consistent with this concept, the number of Likes one acquires is visible to others, highly prized by others, and a means to signal status and relative position to others. In particular, it investigates materialism, vulnerable narcissism and self-monitoring—traits commonly associated with conspicuous consumption—as antecedents of Like-seeking. It distinguishes between normative Like-seeking and deceptive Like-seeking where a false impression may be presented to gain Likes. It also explores the mediating role of Instagram intensity in the relationship between these traits and Like-seeking. Data from a sample of 436 Instagram users in the United States show that those traits normally associated with conspicuous consumption are directly associated with deceptive Like-seeking in particular. Findings also reveal new insights into users’ Instagram intensity and its role as a mediating variable between materialism and self-monitoring and both forms of Like-seeking.