The Positive Side of Social Comparison on Social Network Sites
How Envy Can Drive Inspiration on Instagram
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23366263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Adrian Meier (0000-0002-8191-2962, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz), Svenja Schäfer (0000-0002-6401-1564, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 411-417 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2152-2715 • E-ISSN: 2152-2723 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1089/cyber.2017.0708 |
| PMID | 29995526 |
| OpenAlex | W2851168401 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 92 |
| References cited | 37 |
A growing body of research finds social network sites (SNS) such as Instagram to facilitate social comparison and the emotional experience of envy in everyday life, with harmful effects for users' well-being. Yet, previous research has exclusively focused on the negative side of social comparison and envy on SNS. Thereby, it has neglected two important aspects: (a) comparison processes can also elicit a beneficial emotional reaction to other users' online self-presentations (i.e., benign envy) and, thus, (b) comparisons can be motivating, with positive outcomes for well-being. The present study aims at closing this research gap by investigating how social comparisons and envy on SNS are related to inspiration, a complex motivational state. Due to its specific characteristics of a creative and aesthetic visual culture, we focus our investigation on Instagram. A structural equation modeling mediation analysis with data from N = 385 Instagram users reveals that the intensity of social comparisons on Instagram was positively related to inspiration and that this relationship was fully mediated by benign envy. Furthermore, inspiration on Instagram was related to increased positive affect. Results of this study underline that to understand the effects of SNS on well-being, we also need to consider the positive motivational side of social comparison and envy.
Affect (linguistics) · Mediation · Social comparison theory · Social media · Social network (sociolinguistics) · Sociology · Computer Science · Creativity in Education and Neuroscience · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 92 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 13,14 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 88 |