عوامل اجتماعی-فرهنگیِ گرایش به شبه‌علم در اینستاگرام: مطالعه نوجوانان و جوانانِ کرج

Abstract

Introduction: Instagram has become a central component of the media environment of Iranian adolescents and young adults, shaping not only their patterns of communication and self-presentation but also their ways of coping with uncertainty, risk and everyday decision-making. Alongside entertainment and lifestyle content, a broad range of pseudoscientific material—such as horoscopes, fortune-telling, tarot cards, palmistry, occult “solutions” to personal problems and other forms of contemporary superstition—is produced and disseminated as visually attractive posts, stories and live streams. These contents offer non-empirical explanatory and predictive claims in a quasi-professional packaging that combines aesthetic appeal, personal storytelling and social proof (likes, comments, follower counts). In such a context, the core issue is not merely the presence of pseudoscientific content on Instagram, but the propensity of adolescents and young adults to follow, trust and share this content, and the socio-cultural and platform-related mechanisms that strengthen or weaken this propensity in the specific urban field of Karaj.

Objective: The main objective of this study is to explain the socio-cultural factors associated with adolescents’ and young adults’ propensity toward pseudoscientific content on Instagram. More specifically, the study aims to: (1) determine the overall level of propensity toward pseudoscientific content and describe patterns of following, engagement with and sharing such content; (2) examine the relationships between this propensity and selected socio-cultural variables, including peer norms, family/school discussion about science and superstition, family cultural capital and perceived religiosity/traditionalism; (3) assess the role of platform-related factors such as perceived influencer credibility and motives for using Instagram; and (4) investigate the contribution of critical media literacy, both as a direct negative correlate of propensity toward pseudoscientific content and as a moderator that weakens the impact of peer norms and perceived influencer credibility. The study is theoretically informed by sociological approaches to cultural capital and socialization and by uses-and-gratifications perspectives on media use and meaning-making, and it focuses empirically on adolescents and young adults in the city of Karaj.

Methods: The research employed a descriptive–analytical design using a survey method. The statistical population consisted of all 15–40-year-old residents of Karaj who had an active Instagram account. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula with a 5% sampling error and 95% confidence level and was set at 383; in practice, 384 valid questionnaires were obtained. A multi-stage cluster sampling procedure was used: first, several municipal districts were randomly selected; second, within each selected district, accessible gathering places relevant to the target population were identified; third, within these locations, individuals meeting the inclusion criteria (age 15–40, residence in Karaj, active Instagram account and informed consent) were selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale.

The instrument measured: (a) propensity toward pseudoscientific content on Instagram as a composite construct combining dimensions of behavioral engagement, belief/acceptance, perceived credibility and intention to use/recommend; (b) peer norms regarding pseudoscientific content; (c) family/school discussion about science and superstition; (d) family cultural capital; (e) perceived religiosity/traditionalism; (f) perceived influencer credibility (including perceived expertise, similarity and likability/attractiveness); (g) motives for Instagram use and gratifications (informational, emotional/entertainment, identity-related and escape from everyday life); (h) critical media literacy; and (i) perceived algorithmic exposure. Face and content validity were established through expert review by faculty members and doctoral students in communication. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and all main scales and subscales showed acceptable internal consistency. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression with interaction terms. Prior to the regression analysis, the assumptions of approximate normality, homogeneity of variance, absence of multicollinearity and independence of errors (Durbin–Watson close to 2) were examined and satisfied.

Results: Descriptive findings indicated that the mean level of propensity toward pseudoscientific content on Instagram was at a “medium to somewhat low” level (M=2.74 on a 1–5 scale). Peer norms supportive of such content were around the midpoint of the scale, whereas family/school discussion about science and superstition was slightly below the midpoint. Family cultural capital and perceived religiosity/traditionalism were reported at relatively higher levels. Overall perceived influencer credibility was close to the midpoint, with perceived expertise scoring somewhat higher than perceived similarity. Motives for Instagram use were in the medium-to-high range, with emotional/entertainment motives having the highest mean. Critical media literacy was at a medium-to-high level, and perceived algorithmic exposure to pseudoscientific content was relatively high.

Correlation analyses showed that peer norms, perceived influencer credibility, motives for Instagram use and daily time spent on Instagram were positively and significantly associated with propensity toward pseudoscientific content. In contrast, family/school discussion about science and superstition, family cultural capital and critical media literacy were negatively and significantly correlated with this propensity. Perceived religiosity/traditionalism displayed only weak and mostly non-significant associations with the main constructs. Group comparison tests revealed no statistically significant differences in propensity by gender or marital status, while significant differences were observed by age, educational level, daily time spent on Instagram and duration of Instagram membership: adolescents and young adults aged 15–24, users with higher daily use, those with longer membership and respondents with certain educational profiles reported higher levels of propensity toward pseudoscientific content.

Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the set of independent variables jointly explained about 45% of the variance in propensity toward pseudoscientific content on Instagram (R²=0.45). After controlling for age, gender and daily time spent on Instagram, adding socio-cultural variables significantly increased the explained variance; peer norms emerged as a strong positive predictor, whereas family/school discussion and family cultural capital had significant negative effects. In subsequent steps, perceived influencer credibility and motives for Instagram use showed significant positive standardized coefficients, and critical media literacy exhibited a significant negative effect. Interaction terms further indicated that critical media literacy not only directly reduced propensity toward pseudoscientific content, but also moderated the effects of peer norms and perceived influencer credibility: at higher levels of critical media literacy, the influence of peer norms and influencer credibility on propensity toward pseudoscience became noticeably weaker.

Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that adolescents’ and young adults’ propensity toward pseudoscientific content on Instagram is shaped by the interplay between socio-cultural background factors and the interaction-driven logic of the platform. Peer norms and perceived influencer credibility, together with emotional and identity-related motives for use and more intensive daily engagement, provide a fertile ground for strengthening this propensity, whereas family/school discussion about science and superstition, higher levels of family cultural capital and critical media literacy operate as protective factors that can curb it. These results highlight the importance of designing critical media literacy programs tailored to the visual and algorithmic logic of Instagram and of fostering informed, dialogic engagement with the boundaries between science and pseudoscience within families and educational institutions.