<![CDATA[Instagram is widely used by Indonesian internet users to present a curated self-image, and learning interest is a key driver of engaged study; evidence linking self-presentation through a first account to learning interest remains limited. This study examines the association between personal branding through the first (main) Instagram account and the learning interest of students at the Faculty of Communication and Informatics, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS). A cross-sectional correlational survey using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was conducted with 320 undergraduate students (2022–2024 cohorts) from a sampling frame of 1,604 students. Data were analyzed with Spearman’s rho after validity, reliability, and distributional checks. Personal branding was positively associated with learning interest (Spearman’s ρ = 0.525, p < 0.001, N = 320), a moderate association in this sample. Causality and direction cannot be established. Goffman’s dramaturgical theory is used to interpret the first account as a “front stage” for identity performance; motivational mechanisms such as social validation were not measured and are proposed as hypotheses. Given the cross-sectional, self-reported, single-faculty design, findings should be generalized cautiously. Future research should use longitudinal or experimental designs, control confounders, and validate the measurement model.]]>
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