Why Cybersecurity Content on Instagram Doesn’t Reach Young Women

Digital natives underestimate cyber security and are more frequently affected by cybercrime. Education via social media could help here. However, one important group is not being reached: girls and young women.

Girls and young women rarely feel addressed by content on the topic of cyber security on Instagram. The IT sector seems unmanageable to them and therefore has a daunting image. However, they are definitely interested in cyber security and could be reached via social media such as Instagram with comprehensible, authentic and entertaining content. This is the result of a study conducted by Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

In the study, group discussions were held with high school students from a girls‘ high school, who were asked about their social media use in general and Instagram in particular. Posts from the German Federal Office for Information Security were presented to them as concrete examples of IT and cyber security. With its Instagram channel, the BSI aims to reach young people and young adults in particular.

Why cybersecurity content is not popular on Instagram

There are three basic scenarios that explain why young women and girls rarely interact with social media content on IT topics on Instagram:

- They are not interested in cybersecurity or IT in general.
- Girls use Instagram for purposes for which IT topics do not fit.
- The design of the content does not match the tastes of the target group.

This is a mixture of scenarios, with Instagram use in general and the design of cybersecurity content playing a particular role.

What the participants in the group discussions appreciate about the BSI’s posts is the credibility and reliability of the information. Almost more importantly, however, is the entertainment value and the associated authenticity of the people presenting themselves on the channel. From the students‘ point of view, this is the greatest weakness of the BSI’s cybersecurity content.

The image problem of IT and how cyber security stands out

Information security plays an important role in the digitalization of our society. The BSI therefore aims to provide digital natives in particular with tips and topics relating to cyber security on digital platforms. This is because this group often underestimates cyber security risks and is more frequently affected by incidents. This is shown by the Cybersecurity Monitor 2024 of the Police Crime Prevention Program of the Federal States and the Federal Government (ProPK) and the BSI. However, they are only weakly represented in the BSI community on Instagram. In the long term, this development could have a negative impact on the digitalization of society as a whole in Germany.

In the study, schoolgirls also stated that they generally find IT too complicated and confusing. However, they generally recognize that cybersecurity plays an important role in their everyday lives. They experience how other people’s accounts are hacked and deep fakes are spread on Instagram or receive phishing messages themselves. Through such experiences, the girls are sensitized and have a positive attitude towards the topic of cyber security. So the issue is split: IT in general seems complicated, but cyber security seems achievable.

Cybersecurity not in the content bubble

Whether posting stories, sharing reels or following influencers – the surveys have shown that schoolgirls prefer to share posts and chat with friends on Instagram. They also prefer to be fed content rather than posting it themselves. Accordingly, the recommended content mainly comes from friends and acquaintances or from celebrities and influencers, i.e. accounts that the students already follow. The BSI or similar channels are not part of their content bubble. The challenge for the authority is therefore to get into the students‘ bubble.

In terms of content, the girls rate the potential of cybersecurity content on Instagram differently. Some schoolgirls are critical of knowledge transfer via social media:

Instagram is simply social media. It's not something that brings me more depth or teaches me anything.

- Feli, 16

The platform is used for entertainment. Other students see the platform as an opportunity for cybersecurity content, as complex content can be simplified by the many visual possibilities. Despite the different opinions, this discussion point shows that at least some of the target group would engage with cybersecurity content as long as the presentation style is appealing.

Between fake news and entertainment

In the group discussions with the students, it became clear that the BSI is already doing some things right: an appearance of legitimacy, a good choice of topics and design. The content and visual design of the contributions therefore has a positive effect on the perception of the channel. The minimalism of the design has recognition value, and for the majority of students it even appears professional. In addition, the connection to the state plays an important role, in which the students have great trust. This is of great value in view of the regular fake news on Instagram. When students are confronted with information on Instagram, they evaluate it skeptically and quickly sort out what is credible and what is not. First impressions count.

If students are willing to look at posts, the content must be explained simply enough. Digital storytelling seems to be helpful in maintaining attention. This allows complex knowledge to be conveyed piece by piece on platforms such as Instagram. The consequences of a lack of structure in reels or a sequence of slides and overly complex language: students would skip such posts immediately. On a positive note, however, the majority added that the brevity of the reels was a big plus point, as was the choice of topics. These aroused interest due to their relevance to everyday life.

By far the most important thing for the students is the authenticity of the characters in the reels. However, this is also the greatest weakness of the BSI reels.

What really bothered me was that their speech was monotone. That dragged everything down.

- Jana, 16

The presenter’s enthusiasm and authenticity obviously add fun and entertainment value to a reel. Here, too, it takes only seconds to decide whether the reel is watched or not.

Check out this post on Instagram

Ein Beitrag geteilt von BSI (@bsi_bund)

Be real! Authenticity as a key factor on Instagram

So what needs to change? First of all, the BSI channel needs to become more visible to young women and girls on Instagram – for example through collaborations with influencers. Through their reach, the channel can tap into new target groups and expand its own community. In addition, the focus should be on presenting content in an understandable, authentic and entertaining way.

To this end, the BSI should break its content down to the level of knowledge of the students. Digital storytelling in reels could also help to make topics easier to follow. Current trends on Instagram should serve as orientation for the BSI. Above all, however, the people in the BSI reels should appear more natural and authentic. Speaking in their own words without following a script and, above all, using everyday language could help here. This would help with the entertainment aspect.

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Angela Valdivia Manchego

Angela Valdivia Manchego, born in Bonn in 2001, has always been creative. She draws, designs clothes and captures nature with her camera. However, her greatest passion is anime, films and series – she is particularly fond of coming-of-age stories from Japan and Italy. Inspired by these, she now makes her own videos, combining her interest in cyberspace and the natural sciences. She also produces short explanatory videos on Instagram, for example for the German Federal Office for Information Security.