The Role of Hashtags in Driving Instagram Engagement: An Analysis of Indonesian Independence Day Content
Abstract
This study investigates the intricate relationship between Instagram hashtag patterns and user engagement trends. Utilizing a quantitative research design with a descriptive-correlational approach, the research systematically analyzed publicly available Instagram post data collected within a specific timeframe, focusing on content related to the Indonesian Independence Day celebration. The methodology involved rigorous URL cleaning, web scraping for hashtags and likes data, comprehensive data cleaning, and hashtag normalization. Subsequently, descriptive statistics were used to characterize hashtag usage, followed by correlation analysis and multiple linear regression to determine the statistical relationship and predictive power of hashtag patterns on engagement metrics. Initial findings indicate a weak or non-existent linear correlation between the sheer number of hashtags and likes (Pearson: 0.0345), suggesting that more hashtags do not automatically guarantee increased engagement. However, specific hashtags like #hutri80 and #17agustus demonstrate higher average likes, highlighting the importance of relevance and specificity over quantity. The analysis also revealed that a few viral posts significantly skew average engagement for certain popular hashtags, indicating the strong influence of outliers. Overall, the study concludes that while hashtags are crucial for discoverability, content quality, relevance, and other contextual factors likely play a more significant role in driving Instagram user engagement.
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