Switching between rinsta and finsta: Malaysian youth’s navigation of social pressure on Instagram

Lau, Jass Ming Yan (2025) Switching between rinsta and finsta: Malaysian youth’s navigation of social pressure on Instagram. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

This study explores how Malaysian youth aged 18–24, during their phase of Emerging Adulthood, use multiple Instagram accounts— “Rinsta” (main account) and “Finsta” (secondary account)—as a strategy to manage social pressure. Although social media like Instagram is designed to encourage free expression, many youths create secondary accounts to express their "authentic self" while maintaining a curated, idealised image on their main accounts. This behaviour reflects a contradiction between the desire for self-disclosure and the need for social validation. Through qualitative focus group discussions, this study investigates the effectiveness of switching between accounts to alleviate social pressure among Malaysian youth. The findings aim to provide insight into the psychological impacts of digital identity management and its implications for youth well-being in the social media age.

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