Instagram como Plataforma para la Salud Mental: evolución de las estrategias de publicación y compromiso

María Cruz López-de-Ayala; Antonio Díaz-Lucena

doi:10.21134/tkb48j06

EPUB (Spanish) PDF (Spanish) DOC (Spanish)

Published: 2025-07-30

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21134/tkb48j06

Keywords:

Mental health, Instagram, social networks, digital interactions, engagement

María Cruz López-de-Ayala

Rey Juan Carlos University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6989-866X (unauthenticated)

Antonio Díaz-Lucena

Rey Juan Carlos University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-0850 (unauthenticated)

Abstract

Mental health has become increasingly important on social and academic agendas due to the rise of psychological disorders. This study presents an automated analysis of mental health posts on Instagram between 2019 and 2024, exploring how Instagram has evolved into a key space for the visibility and discussion of mental health-related content. Aspects such as formats, text length, use of hashtags and interactions generated are examined. The results reveal an exponential growth of posts on mental health, with a significant increase in text length, especially in posts with videos. Images are the preferred format as they generate higher levels of interactions and support more extensive narrative in their posts. Interactions through comments, which require more cognitive effort, have decreased in recent years, especially in video formats, suggesting a possible decrease in deep conversations. Finally, hashtags describing a specific disease are associated with higher levels of interaction, generally outperforming more generic tags; except for 2024, when generic tags appear with significant reach. This study underlines the relevance of Instagram as a tool to make sensitive topics visible and promote meaningful discussions around mental health, providing information that allows optimising digital communication strategies aimed at promoting psychological wellbeing.

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Issue

Vol. 16 (2025)

Section

Miscellaneous

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Author Biographies

María Cruz López-de-Ayala, Rey Juan Carlos University

María Cruz López-de-Ayala. Licenciada en Sociología (UCM), Doctora en Comunicación (URJC) y Máster en Comunicación Corporativa (Universidad de Barcelona), María Cruz López de Ayala es profesora titular en la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Departamento de Comunicación Audiovisual y Publicidad) y Vicedecana de Ordenación Académica, Profesorado y Planes de Estudio de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación. Ha sido Visiting Fellow en el Departament of Media and Communications de la London School of Economic an Political Sciences, y en la Universidad Nova de Lisboa. Sus principales líneas de investigación son: comunicación digital de menores y jóvenes, mediación familiar y comunicación estratégica. Ha participado y liderado diferentes proyectos de investigación, tanto en proyectos competitivos I+D+I como contratos con investigaciones públicas y privadas. Actualmente, es co-investigador principal del proyecto del Plan Nacional “Repertorios y prácticas mediáticas en la adolescencia y la juventud: usos, ciberbienestar y vulnerabilidades digitales en redes sociales (RED-ADJUVEN)” y miembro del grupo de investigación sobre comunicación, sociedad y cultura (GICOMSOC). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6989-866X

Antonio Díaz-Lucena, Rey Juan Carlos University

Antonio Díaz-Lucena. Antonio Díaz Lucena es profesor ayudante doctor de la universidad Rey Juan Carlos en Madrid (España). Estudió Comunicación Audiovisual (1999) en Madrid antes de viajar a Londres donde pudo cursar un Master en Fine Arts (Visual Culture) en la Universidad Middlesex (2003). Obtuvo su doctorado en Comunicación en 2014 en la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos en Madrid bajo la dirección de Lorenzo Torres Hortelano. Sus experiencias laborales más importantes han sido: Bloomberg TV en Londres durante dos años, como responsable del cuerpo técnico para el equipo español, y American Express España, durante más de quince años, pasando por diferentes departamentos, como: Travel, Marketing, Merchant o Corporate. Actualmente es profesor en la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid) donde se está especializando en la comunicación en redes sociales (RRSS) y análisis textual. Forma parte de la dirección de la Asociación Cultural Trama y Fondo encargada en diseminar contenido científico sobre análisis de textos culturales. Entre sus trabajos más destacados se encuentran: YouTube and the new direction of the Spanish press (2022), Strategies of the Spanish press in the face of the Twitter algorithm change. Analysis of tweets published between 2018-2020 (2022) o La red social X como canal de difusión del Podcasting: un análisis de las principales plataformas de audio (2024). ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-0850

How to Cite

López-de-Ayala, M. C., & Díaz-Lucena, A. (2025). Instagram as a Platform for Mental Health: evolving posting and engagement strategies. Miguel Hernandez Communication Journal, 16, 467-484. https://doi.org/10.21134/tkb48j06

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