Social Media Social Comparison of Ability (but not Opinion) Predicts Lower Identity Clarity: Identity Processing Style as a Mediator

Abstract

Social comparison on social media has received increasing attention, but most research has focused on one type of social comparison and its psycho-emotional implications. Little is known about how different types of social comparison influence youth's identity development. Drawing on the theories of identity processing styles and social comparison, we examined how two different forms of social comparison on social media related to three identity processing styles, which in turn predicted youth's global self-esteem and identity clarity. We surveyed 219 college freshmen (M = 18.29; 74% female) once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Social comparison of ability on social media was related to concurrent diffuse-avoidant identity processing style, which predicted lower identity clarity months later. In contrast, social comparison of opinion on social media did not influence college freshmen's global self-esteem and identity clarity through identity processing styles. The findings clarified the implications of online social comparison for youth's identity development.

Unifying the detrimental and beneficial effects of social network site use on self-esteem: a systematic literature review

“…It can be concluded that SNS use often triggers upward social comparisons, leading to declines in self-esteem. There are differences in the negative relationship between upward social comparisons and self-esteem with regards to the comparison domain (e.g., Yang et al, 2018) and the individual comparison tendency (e.g., Vogel et al, 2015). However, overall studies report negative effects, with the magnitude ranging from insignificant (e.g., Greitemeyer, 2016) to intermediate (Cohen, 1992) effect sizes (e.g., r = − 0.32; Chen et al, 2016).…”

“…Furthermore, subjects who tend to compare themselves in terms of achievements on SNSs report lower levels of selfesteem (Yang et al, 2018). At the same time, comparisons with regards to opinions of others on SNSs do not impact self-esteem (Yang et al, 2018). Moreover, upward and downward comparisons with profiles displaying information on a user's fitness (Vogel et al, 2014) or the number of friends (Greitemeyer, 2016) are unrelated to self-esteem.…”

“…Social comparisons serve as a fundamental mechanism for evaluating the self in relation to others (Festinger, 1954), thus providing input for individual processes of self-esteem updating. Nine of the analyzed studies directly test for social comparison (Greitemeyer, 2016;Hanna et al, 2017;Kang, Chung, Mora, & Chung, 2013;Liu et al, 2017;Stapleton, Luiz, & Chatwin, 2017;Vogel, Rose, Okdie, Eckles, & Franz, 2015;Vogel et al, 2014;Wang, Wang, Gaskin, & Hawk, 2017;Yang, Holden, & Carter, 2018). The results of another four studies can be interpreted in the light of social comparison theory (Chen et al, 2016;Gonzales & Hancock, 2011;Strubel, Petrie, & Pookulangara, 2018;Wang, Yang, & Haigh, 2017).…”

“…However, the content on browsed profiles matters: information that yields grounds for upward comparisons in terms of high social status, signaled by a large number of likes and comments on posts, is associated with a decrease in self-esteem compared to content triggering downward comparisons (Vogel et al, 2014). Furthermore, subjects who tend to compare themselves in terms of achievements on SNSs report lower levels of selfesteem (Yang et al, 2018). At the same time, comparisons with regards to opinions of others on SNSs do not impact self-esteem (Yang et al, 2018).…”

Young Chinese WeChat Users’ Brand-Following Behavior

“…According to social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), people tend to evaluate their self-worth by comparing themselves with others, especially when objective standards for evaluation are not readily available. Social media such as WeChat provide youths with platforms for social comparisons, as the users of those media are exposed to huge amounts of information regarding the lives of others (Yang, Holden, & Carter, 2018). In addition, peer conformity is typically viewed as the overriding goal in collectivistic societies such as China (Men & Muralidharan, 2017).…”