Why Are More Women Than Men on Instagram?
“Young women dominate Instagram and visual platforms in general. Instagram gives you the power to modify your appearance in a way that’s practically on par with makeup and other beauty products,” said Rachel Simmons, a gender researcher who has written extensively on teen girls, referring to the flattering tools that make photos look flawless.
.. Katrin Tiidenberg, sociologist and Internet scholar at Tallinn University, says more women may use Instagram because mothers, in particular, have historically been responsible for family photos in many cultures.
.. Tiidenberg says dates back to the 19th century, when upper class women took pictures of their family and friends and made elaborate albums that included paintings, drawings, and cutouts from photos.
.. This is where Instagram can veer into the territory of envy baiting and plays into the trap of chasing “effortless perfection”—a term coined by Duke University researchers in 2003 to capture the pressure women feel to be beautiful, in shape, popular, intelligent, and accomplished without any visible effort to put forth. In reality, of course, maintaining an enviable Instagram feed—perfectly staged vacation photos with the sun hitting you just so, or the ultimate flattering selfie that showcases your best side—does take a lot of work. Read: many snaps of the camera from different angles and then running them through the right filter.