“They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am”: The Impact of Using Facebook on Perceptions of Others' Lives

Abstract

Facebook, as one of the most popular social networking sites among college students, provides a platform for people to manage others' impressions of them. People tend to present themselves in a favorable way on their Facebook profile. This research examines the impact of using Facebook on people's perceptions of others' lives. It is argued that those with deeper involvement with Facebook will have different perceptions of others than those less involved due to two reasons. First, Facebook users tend to base judgment on examples easily recalled (the availability heuristic). Second, Facebook users tend to attribute the positive content presented on Facebook to others' personality, rather than situational factors (correspondence bias), especially for those they do not know personally. Questionnaires, including items measuring years of using Facebook, time spent on Facebook each week, number of people listed as their Facebook "friends," and perceptions about others' lives, were completed by 425 undergraduate students taking classes across various academic disciplines at a state university in Utah. Surveys were collected during regular class period, except for two online classes where surveys were submitted online. The multivariate analysis indicated that those who have used Facebook longer agreed more that others were happier, and agreed less that life is fair, and those spending more time on Facebook each week agreed more that others were happier and had better lives. Furthermore, those that included more people whom they did not personally know as their Facebook "friends" agreed more that others had better lives.

Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood

“…One possible reason for these findings is that Facebook provides women with a means for comparing themselves on a broad range of dimensions (beyond just appearance), such as social status and life experiences. For THE EFFECT OF FACEBOOK ON BODY IMAGE AND MOOD 22 example, similar to the findings of Chou and Edge (2012), women may be judging others on Facebook to be happier or have better lives than them, which in turn could induce a more negative mood.…”

“…Further contributing to this concern is the fact that women have reported viewing other people's Facebook profiles in order to make comparisons to those individuals (Haferkamp, Eimler, Papadakis, & Kruck, 2012). Indeed, one study found that participants who spend more time on Facebook believe that others are happier and have better lives than themselves, especially when the participants had a greater number of Facebook "friends" that they do not know personally (Chou & Edge, 2012).…”

Exploring how social networking sites impact youth with anxiety: A qualitative study of Facebook stressors among adolescents with an anxiety disorder diagnosis

“…One study found that undergraduate students who frequently used Facebook were more likely to agree with the statement, "life is unfair" (Chou & Edge, 2012). Among Serbian high school students, the amount of time on Facebook was positively correlated with higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (Pantic, et al, 2012).…”

“…Similarly, Labrague (2014) identified that time spent online correlated significantly with anxiety; markedly the amount of time spent on Facebook predicted higher levels of anxiety captured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Furthermore, research has established links between Facebook use and diminished well-being, self-esteem, and increased feelings of depression, stress, cognitive overload, and body dissatisfaction in healthy users (Chen & Lee, 2013;Chou & Edge, 2012;de Vries, de Graaf, & Nikken, 2016;Kross et al, 2013). Research suggests that frequent updates from Facebook friends and the possibility of encountering negative comments may contribute to the development of negative emotions (Labrague, 2014).…”

Social Networks as Dispositives of Neoliberal Governmentality

“…In addition, a design is used that seeks to promote a positive environment: the rapprochement of users based on criteria of affinity theoretically minimizes conflicts; in the case of Facebook, there is no disapproval button, as opposed to the "like" option, and the rejection of requests for friendships or the unmaking of friendships is not reported to the affected users and is therefore not easily perceived. However, empirical data show a recurring impression in Facebook that others are more successful and happier than we are (Chou;Edge, 2012), generating what the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls "Facebook depression." The continuity between the injunctions of accomplishment and enjoyment leads Dardot and Laval (2014) to coin the expression "performance/pleasure apparatus.…”