1. The study compares motives for Instagram use between participants from Croatia, a highly collectivistic culture, and the United States, a typically individualistic culture.
2. Croatian students’ Instagram use reflects collectivist tendencies, primarily social interaction, while American students’ use of Instagram reflects individualistic trends, namely self-promotion and documentation.
3. American students are inclined to use hashtags for documentation, while Croatian participants tend to use hashtags for other reasons including self-promotion, social interaction, and creativity.
The article "A cross-cultural comparison of Croatian and American social network sites: Exploring cultural differences in motives for Instagram use" provides an interesting analysis of the cultural differences in Instagram use between Croatia and the United States. The study compares the motives for Instagram use and behavioral outcomes of participants from both countries, highlighting how culture moderates these relationships.
One potential bias in this article is that it assumes that culture is the only factor influencing Instagram use. While culture certainly plays a role, other factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status may also impact how individuals use social media. Additionally, the study only focuses on college students, which limits its generalizability to other age groups.
Another potential bias is that the study relies on self-reported data from participants, which may not accurately reflect their actual behavior on Instagram. Participants may have provided socially desirable responses or may not have been fully aware of their motivations for using Instagram.
The article also presents some unsupported claims, such as stating that American students are inclined to use hashtags for documentation without providing evidence to support this claim. Additionally, while the study finds that Croatian students tend to use hashtags for self-promotion, social interaction, and creativity, it does not explore why this might be the case.
One-sided reporting is evident in the article's focus solely on cultural differences between Croatia and the United States. It would be interesting to see how other cultures compare in their motivations for using Instagram.
Overall, while this article provides valuable insights into cultural differences in Instagram use between Croatia and the United States, it could benefit from a more nuanced approach that considers other factors beyond culture and explores potential biases in its methodology.