2025.May.15

REPORTS

Report on the 35th B’AI Book Club (※Research Presentation)
“A Survey of Instagram Usage and the Impact of Algorithms Among Women in Their Early 20s”

On January 28, 2025, the 35th session of the “B’AI Book Club” was held in a hybrid format. In this session, two members of the “AI/Algorithms and Gender Inequality” research group*, one of the research projects of the B’AI Global Forum, presented their research for the 2024 academic year**.

In the 2024 academic year, the group focused on “Instagram,” one of the social media platforms regularly used by young women in their teens and twenties, which is considered to have a significant impact on shaping awareness of gender norms. The research was designed to find the types of content young women are exposed to through Instagram’s recommendation system, how they are influenced by such content, and how they perceive the impact of Instagram’s recommendation function on their own recognition and choices. Specifically, the survey was designed to determine: (1) the actual usage and content exposure of Instagram among young women in Japan and Chinese women currently residing in Japan, (2) the influence of Instagram usage on their normative consciousness and practices related to beauty, body shape, and fashion, and (3) the relationship between their Instagram usage and social expectations on gender. To investigate these aspects, a questionnaire survey, screenshot data collection, and interview surveys were conducted.

For the questionnaire survey, we commissioned a research firm to collect responses to 17 questions regarding Instagram usage and awareness of the recommendation system. The survey targeted women (self-identified) aged 18 to 26 living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba), and responses were obtained from 300 participants. In the screenshot data collection and interview survey, participants recruited through a network sampling method were asked to send screenshots of advertisements and recommended content related to beauty, dieting, and other gender-related topics, along with notes on their viewing experiences, for a minimum of three days via Instagram direct messages. Interviews were conducted via Zoom with the screenshot providers. Data were collected for nine participants, with those who provided both screenshots and participated in the interview survey as valid data.

Notable among the survey results is the high usage of Instagram and the variation in awareness regarding the content encountered on the platform. All 300 respondents used Instagram, and around 60% of the 300 said Instagram was their most frequently used social networking site. In addition, around 60% of the respondents were aware of “advertising posts” displayed on Instagram. On the other hand, roughly 30% each answered they have felt that “ad-like” posts are personalized, did not feel that they were personalized, and did not know. Of those who have felt that ads are personalized, around 40% viewed it as good or not bothering, while 50% viewed it as disliked. Thus, there are limitations to discussing based on overall trends suggested by the limited quantitative data obtained in this survey.

What the survey results did not reveal about users’ practices and attitudes was researched through screenshot data collection and interviews. Three points are noteworthy. First, young women’s proactive engagement with Instagram’s algorithm. They trained the algorithm by reacting to the posts they encounter—hiding them, adjusting the time spent viewing content, and so on— in order to obtain the information they want. While actively utilizing the platform’s algorithm, these women were exposed to content that reinforced normative gender images, such as beauty and hair removal.

Second, young women see the influence of Instagram as a personal matter. These women had an image of a thin and beautiful body shape and appearance that was considered ideal in society, and they practiced this norm through the purchase of products, coordination, and beauty practices that they encountered on Instagram. They understood their actions on Instagram, such as browsing posts and checking out products of interest, as actions based on their own choices and interests. 

Third, the limitations of resistance to gender norms through Instagram. Through the interview we find that the young women felt disgusted when they came into contact with content or videos that they felt were imposing gender norms, and they resisted the “imposition” by “hiding” the ads or moving on to view other content in order to avoid the contact. However, such resistance is not always successful, and these users are constantly required to try to reduce their discomfort on the platform. It indicates that the means of resistance against the imposition of gender norms has become limited in that they take action against posts they encounter in digital space, rather than raising their voices to be transmitted to people offline.

In the discussion that followed the report, the following points were raised by the participants. First, a more careful data analysis that takes into account both the difference and homogeneity of the backgrounds of the research participants are necessary. Second, it is important to examine the process by which young women’s awareness of gender norms is formed, taking into account the broader social and political context. Young women cultivate their awareness of gender norms through various forms of media, online platforms, and offline relationships. Recognizing the limitations of this study’s findings and determining the appropriate research context in which they should be situated will be important considerations.

Thus, this meeting was a significant learning opportunity to consider the relationship between AI/algorithms and gender norms through the results of the survey on young women’s use of Instagram. Based on the discussions at this session, the research group hopes to conduct a more elaborate analysis of the findings of this survey for submission to the paper.

* The “AI/Algorithms and Gender Inequality” research group is led by Professor Toko Tanaka (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo) and consists of the following four graduate students:
・Honoka Kato (Project Researcher, B’AI Global Forum; PhD Candidate, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University)
・Yunfan Mao (Master’s Student, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)
・Kyosuke Yamamoto (PhD Student, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, The University of Tokyo)
・Riko Watanabe (Master’s Student, Graduate School of Human Relations, Keio University) 

** The findings of this study were presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies on November 30, 2024, during the organized session “AI/Algorithms and New Social Ethics” (Organizer: Professor Toko Tanaka).