Finding an incentive compatible method to assess account values can be seen as the bedrock of
social media research across all platforms and is of crucial importance for researches and
practitioners alike. This study presents a new method of applying the willingness to accept
(instead of the commonly applied willingness to pay for establishing account values on
Instagram) by modifying a randomised Vickrey Auction. Primary research among 1024 participants
and 409 Instagram users measured the willingness to accept in relation to demographic
variables account and interaction metrics. The average account was valued at 100 EUR median
correlating significantly with participants' income and prevalently with the number of
followers. Other significant correlations were found in the duration since sign up number of
posts average number of likes and comments as well as the decision to establish a micro
blogging business. Findings are discussed by regarding the limitations and implications for
Instagram's business model in terms of a Freemium model insurances companies offering privacy
enhancing features and ad campaign pricing when users engage in brand collaborations.
