Social Media, Comparison, & Self-Esteem
You can probably guess how they’re all linked.
It’s human nature to compare yourself to others. Sometimes, comparison can be a powerful tool, encouraging us to strive to be more like those we look up to. But on the flip side, it can also make us feel poorly about the state of our own lives.
Think about the last time you logged onto social media. You opened up the home feed to images, videos, and updates about people in your social network. How often did you get a sinking feeling in your stomach when you saw someone you thought was doing better than you? How often were you jealous of the person who went on an incredible vacation? How often did you find yourself trying to measure up to others, only to feel like you fell short?
Social comparison often goes hand-in-hand with lower self-esteem, and social media has opened people up to more comparison than ever.
What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is how we think of ourselves, whether in a positive or negative sense. It serves a myriad of purposes, including acceptance in groups and meaning in life.
Self-esteem is both a stable trait that develops as we age and one that shifts according to life events and daily occurrences. We all have an ongoing sense of how we feel about ourselves, but this can also slide from moment to moment.
What Is Social Comparison?
Comparison can be understood in two ways: upward social comparison and downward social comparison.
Upward social comparison occurs when a person compares themselves to someone they perceive as superior. It can inspire one to work towards a life similar to those they admire, but it can also cause feelings of inadequacy and poor self-esteem.
Downward social comparison refers to the comparison of yourself to someone you consider inferior. Downward comparison can make people feel poorly when they consider how things could be worse for themselves, but it can also lead to boosted self-esteem when seeing themselves as superior to others.
Woman with a thumbs up and thumbs down on either side of her
How Do Social Media, Comparison, and Self-Esteem Fit Together?
Well, people generally depict the best-case version of their life online. This phenomenon makes social media a breeding ground for comparison and therefore altered self-esteem.
A group of American researchers set out to understand the relationship between social media, social comparison, and self-esteem. In fact, they completed two studies with two different methods and sample groups. Their platform of choice was Facebook, as they felt its popularity made it an effective medium for the study.
Study one used a correlational approach to understand whether people who experience more social comparison on social media have lower self-esteem. 145 college students participated, filling out questionnaires concerning their social media use, self-esteem, and downward vs upward social comparison.
The Rosenberg Scale was used to measure self-esteem. This questionnaire asks people to assess how they feel about themselves, answering questions on a scale of 1 (not at all true) to 7 (very true).
Lastly, to measure social comparison, the researchers asked about the extent to which the students focused on those who were better or worse off than themselves on Facebook.
Study two used an experimental approach to understand whether comparison on social media could influence self-esteem. 128 undergraduate students participated, each viewing a fake Facebook profile that either conveyed an upward or downward comparison. After viewing the profile for three minutes, the participants filled out various questionnaires.
This study also delved into the specifics of how social status is conveyed. For example, does personal social media content (photos, status updates, etc.) or social information (number of likes, friends, comments) convey more about upward or downward status?
How Does Social Media Affect Self-Esteem?
Study one confirmed connections between social comparison, social media, and self-esteem.
Study two’s experimental approach found that the participants who viewed profiles with high social activity (such as profiles posting about beating a personal running record) didn’t feel they could compare and made a lower self-assessment as a result. However, when viewing profiles where people seemed to have a negative lifestyle, participants compared themselves more equally.
We already know that people use social media to fulfill social needs and that social media is home to comparisons that lower self-esteem. What we learned from the research is that the more frequent the social media use, the more one’s self-esteem is affected.
If seeing someone’s shiny curated life or highlight reel consistently causes you to reflect on your own perceived failures, maybe it’s time to unfollow.
Man viewing profile pictures on a large screen
Social media can be a beautiful thing. There are lots of accounts dedicated to mental health, wellness, cooking, and more that can bring you joy and encouragement. But it becomes a problem when accounts make you feel like you can’t hit the mark.
Follow friends and family who you love, engage with, and can be genuinely excited for, as well as accounts that inspire you. Don’t follow accounts that make you feel a twinge in your stomach when you think about your own life—influencers can especially be a tricky area here.
Try to surround yourself with those who keep it real on social media, and you should do just fine.
Study Objectives & Methods
Social Comparison, Social Media, and Self-Esteem
Erin A. Vogel, PhD; Jason P. Rose, PhD; Lindsay R. Roberts, GS; Katheryn Eckles, GS
Published in The Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2014.
The researchers completed two different studies to understand how social media is affecting social comparison and self-esteem. Study one used a correlational approach, having 145 undergraduate students fill out various questionnaires pertaining to self-esteem, social comparison, and social media use. This study revealed connections between the three. Study two took their hypothesis further, using an experimental approach. 128 undergraduates participated in this study, viewing a fake Facebook profile created by the researchers. This profile either conveyed upward or downward social comparison. Once the participants each viewed a fake profile, they answered questions about self-esteem.
Social Media and Well-Being Training
This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our 3-course program designed for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.
