Instagram Engagement Mechanisms: Emotional, Informational, and Video Effects on Likes and Comments

Abstract

Instagram has become an important platform for digital marketing communication, where user interactions indicate the effectiveness of brand-generated content. However, likes and comments are often treated as a single engagement construct despite reflecting different levels of user involvement. This study examines how emotional content, informational content, and video format affect likes and comments on the Instagram accounts of Indonesian local sportswear brands. Using a quantitative explanatory design, the study applies multiple linear regression with OLS regression with HC3 heteroskedasticity-consistent robust standard errors. Data were collected through web scraping of public Instagram posts from Eiger, Specs, Ortuseight, Eagle, and Astec. After data cleaning and filtering, 330 posts were retained for analysis. Likes were conceptualized as low-effort engagement, whereas comments represented high-effort engagement. The findings show that emotional content positively and significantly affects likes but has no significant effect on comments. Conversely, video format negatively affects likes while positively and significantly influencing comments. These results indicate that Instagram engagement operates through distinct mechanisms, suggesting that digital content strategies should be aligned with specific engagement objectives.