Managing multiple accounts for identity construction on Instagram: A privacy management framework

Abstract

Managing multiple accounts on social networking sites (SNSs) like Instagram is a common strategy for users to tailor self-presentation and manage privacy by segmenting audiences and content. This practice supports privacy management and reflects identity processes such as identity evolution (how users perceive their self-concepts to shift over time) and identity synchronization (how these identities are integrated across accounts). Grounded in privacy management theory, this study uses survey data from 408 Instagram users and a structural equation modeling approach to examine how two distinct types of privacy management, platform-enabled and interpersonal privacy concerns, shape identity construction. Our findings reveal that content management and curation significantly contribute to both identity evolution and synchronization, while interpersonal privacy concerns are tied to network-based self-presentation. These results challenge assumptions of the privacy paradox, showing that users engage in deliberate, context-sensitive strategies and privacy strategies. In addition, audience segmentation, more than content itself, shapes identity work on SNSs.