Can too many hashtags backfire? Understanding audiences’ perceptions of hashtags on Instagram

This research explores how the number of hashtags influences audience attitudes toward Instagram posts, examining the mediating role of perceived authenticity and the moderating effects of audience relationship (follower vs. non-follower) and post type (organic vs. sponsored). Three experimental studies demonstrate that excessive hashtags negatively affect attitudes, primarily through decreasing perceptions of authenticity. This effect, however, is conditional. Non-followers form more negative attitudes toward posts laden with hashtags, whereas followers’ attitudes are unaffected by hashtag quantity, indicating that relational ties buffer unfavorable inferences. The negative effect of hashtag quantity also emerges in organic posts but is attenuated in sponsored content, because sponsorship disclosures function as a more diagnostic cue that overrides the hashtag signal. These findings clarify when and why excessive hashtagging backfires, extend signaling and authenticity research to social media communication, and offer content creators and marketers context-sensitive guidance on hashtag strategy.