University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Their lives seem better than mine: exploring the role of social comparison on Instagram users' psychology

Budesheim, Erin

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117675

Description

Title
Their lives seem better than mine: exploring the role of social comparison on Instagram users' psychology
Author(s)
Budesheim, Erin
Issue Date
2022-12-02
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Napolitano, Chris M
Department of Study
Educational Psychology
Discipline
Educational Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • young adult
  • well-being
  • social media
Abstract
Researchers and popular media have sought to understand the relationship between social media use and well-being, however, findings have been largely inconclusive. Social comparison theory and orientation provided a window into understanding how engagement with social media may be affecting young adults’ psyches. This exploratory study aimed to elucidate how young adults’ social comparison orientation and comparative wellbeing impact their personal well-being and sense of loneliness after using Instagram. Exploratory research questions included: (1) Will comparative well-being moderate the relationship between social comparison orientation and personal well-being? and (2) Will comparative well-being moderate the relationship between social comparison orientation and loneliness? Participants engaged in a brief Instagram task in which they viewed images on their Instagram feed and rated the posters’ subjective well-being; I collected data on personal well-being and loneliness before and after the Instagram task. Findings of several moderated latent regressions, demonstrated comparative well-being significantly moderated the relationship between social comparison orientation and personal well-being; participants who viewed Instagram posters with lower well-being than themselves, the participants felt significantly better about their own well-being. However, there was no effect found for comparative well-being moderating the relationship between social comparison orientation and loneliness. These findings introduce a possible phenomenon of Instagram schadenfreude wherein Instagram users take pleasure in seeing other posters who are relatively worse off than themselves. This study added to the growing literature dedicated to understanding the relationship between social media use and young adult well-being.
Graduation Semester
2022-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2022 Erin Budesheim

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