1 - Wendel Carlos Carvalho Melo UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO NORTE (UFRN) - PPGA-UFRN-Campus Central
2 - Cicero Eduardo De Sousa Walter INSTITUTO FEDERAL DE EDUCAÇÃO, CIÊNCIA E TECNOLOGIA DO PIAUÍ (IFPI) - Oeiras
3 - Marcos Henrique Silva de Carvalho INSTITUTO FEDERAL DE EDUCAÇÃO, CIÊNCIA E TECNOLOGIA DO PIAUÍ (IFPI) - Oeiras
4 - Miguel Eduardo Moreno Añez UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO NORTE (UFRN) - PPGA - UFRN
5 - Manuel Luís Au Yong Oliveira Universidade de Aveiro - DEGEIT
Reumo
Online social networks have become significant channels of communication and self-expression, where users post photos, videos, and texts, given the ease that today's easily acces-sible smartphones provide for sharing. This availability of camera-equipped mobile devices allows users to record unique and meaningful moments for immediate posting on their social profiles on online networks (Fox & Rooney, 2015; Scott et al., 2018; Weiser, 2015).
Purpose: The main objective of the present research was to investigate the influence of the use of Instagram, by Brazilian users, on narcissistic behaviors and the desire for self-promotion, and its possible impacts on impulse and conspicuous consumption.
Instagram's main distinguishing attribute is its photo and video sharing (Dumas et al., 2017). To do this, the social network has tools that allow users to modify their photos through filters, whose purpose is to make the photo more attractive to achieve greater engagement in the post (Fardouly et al., 2018; Moore & Craciun, 2021), thus influencing people's behavior via the appearance of the photos (Couture Bue, 2020).
Design/methodology/approach: Based on 316 responses collected through an online survey on the behav-iors related to Instagram use, Narcissism, Self-Promotion Desire, and Conspicuous and Impulse Consump-tion of Brazilian users, a conceptual model was developed and validated through the multivariate statistical technique of structural equation modeling with partial least squares estimation (Partial least squares struc-tural equation modeling-PLS-SEM).
Findings: Our results suggest that Instagram use has direct causal influences on both conspicuous consump-tion behavior and impulse consumption behavior and that narcissism and the desire for self-promotion in conjunction with Instagram use, have important roles in conspicuous consumption behavior. In this sense, the analyzed constructs contain in themselves a feedback relationship. The greater the use of Instagram, the greater the Narcissism, the Desire for Self-Promotion, and the Conspicuous Consumption Behavior.
Practical implications: The present investigation brings evidence that Instagram can be understood both as a showcase used by its users to demonstrate the evidence of wealth, status, beauty, and power in search of recognition and as an ideal platform for the launch of goods and products that appeal to the sense of exclu-sivity, recognition, status, and prestige.
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