One in six people fake photos of their home, survey finds

Few of us have a home interior that would stand up to Instagram scrutiny, but how many of us would actually fake it to the world?

Turns out one in six people have posted fake Instagram photos of their “home”. In other words, they have posted an image of someone else’s home – presumably one that’s more trendy and, well, perfect.

That’s the finding of a survey carried out for The Ideal Home Show in the UK. And what is even more remarkable, some respondents admitted buying furniture and furnishings, posting shots on Instagram and then returning the items to the store.

The Daily Mail reports that more than a quarter of the 2000 people polled admitted to being so envious of other people’s pictures on social media, it made them miserable. And nearly half of the 18 to 24-year-olds said they would not buy a house unless they knew it would impress their friends on social media. And 17 per cent said they were prepared to pay more for such a property.

Spokesperson for The Ideal Home Show Justin Levett was quoted in The Daily Mail: “An obsession with social media is causing Brits to lie about what their properties really look like online in an effort to keep up with the Joneses.”

“With people admitting to paying more for Instagrammable properties… the influence of social platforms is undeniable. It’s making people feel the need to not just keep up with their friends but to keep up with people they don’t even know across the world.”

Another finding of the survey: Nearly one fifth (18 per cent) of people surveyed aged 25 to 35 admitted the way an item would appear on their social media accounts influenced their decision to buy.

Conclusion: Next time you get Insta envy, bear in mind you can’t always believe what you see.

• This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz