Work

The combined well-being effects of social media activities: how self-affirmation can buffer against upward social comparisons on Instagram

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Social media activities do not occur in isolation, and it is possible that the well-being effects of an initial activity modify the effects of a subsequent one. This article examines this possibility by focusing on a specific, theoretically grounded sequence of social media activities: engaging with one’s own profile self-presentation (i.e., a self-affirmational activity) followed by browsing a superior peer’s profile (i.e., an activity eliciting upward social comparison). Two pre-registered experiments were conducted. Study 1 confirmed that both reviewing and crafting one’s own Instagram self-presentation provided self-affirmational benefits, reducing participants’ defensiveness and inducing positive affect. Study 2 showed that becoming self-affirmed by engaging with one’s own Instagram self-presentation diminished feelings of envy resulting from browsing a superior peer’s self-presentation. By conceptualizing and empirically testing the interdependence of social media activities, this research offers a framework for examining how sequences of social media activities jointly shape users’ psychological experiences.

Source: Human Communication Research

DOI: 10.1093/hcr/hqaf022

Authors: Yuchi Anthony Chen, Catalina L Toma

Institutions: University of California, Irvine, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,235

Funders: University of California, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jacobs Foundation, University of California, Irvine