Social Comparison 2.0: Examining the Effects of Online Profiles on Social-Networking Sites

Abstract

Through their features--such as profile photographs or the personal vita--online profiles on social-networking sites offer a perfect basis for social comparison processes. By looking at the profile photograph, the user gains an impression of a person's physical attractiveness, and the user's vita shows which career path the person is pursuing. Against the background of Festinger's Social Comparison Theory, the focus of this research is on the effects of online profiles on their recipients. Therefore, qualitative interviews (N = 12) and two online experiments were conducted in which virtual online profiles of either physically attractive or unattractive persons (N = 93) and profiles of users with either high or low occupational attainment (N = 103) were presented to the participants. Although qualitative interviews did not initially give reason to expect online profiles to constitute a basis for comparison processes, results of the experiments proved otherwise. The first study indicates that recipients have a more negative body image after looking at beautiful users than persons who were shown the less attractive profile pictures. Male participants of the second study, who were confronted with profiles of successful males, showed a higher perceived discrepancy between their current career status and an ideal vita than male participants who looked at profiles of less successful persons.

Social Comparison as the Thief of Joy: Emotional Consequences of Viewing Strangers’ Instagram Posts

“…This finding is in line with a previous experiment in which viewing profiles of successful and attractive strangers also influenced positive affect but not negative affect (Haferkamp & Krämer, 2011). These studies together indicate that social comparison on social media can be the "thief of joy" but is not the catalyst of negative emotions.…”

“…The finding that strangers' positive posts diminish positive affect among these individuals high in social comparison orientation, thus, indicates that social comparison in response to strangers' positive posts can decrease positive affect. In line with previous research and theorizing about social media effects, the current study, thus, offers support for the notion that browsing social media has negative consequences when individuals compare themselves to others and conclude they are worse off (Chou & Edge, 2012;de Vries & Kühne, 2015;Fardouly et al, 2015;Haferkamp & Krämer, 2011).…”

“…Furthermore, in one quasi-experiment among 89 depressed and non-depressed adults, individuals who viewed profiles of attractive peers (in terms of job and education, friends, likes, and comments) reported more envy than those who viewed unattractive profiles (Appel, Crusius, & Gerlach, 2015). Moreover, Haferkamp and Krämer (2011) performed an experiment with 91 participants (mean age 22.5) and found that people who viewed profiles of physically attractive others reported decreased positive affect in comparison to those viewing unattractive others.…”

“…Viewing these positive posts may have positive or negative consequences for the viewer's mood (Lin & Utz, 2015). A growing body of research studying social media from a social comparison perspective suggests that browsing others' positive posts has negative effects on mood through envy and the feeling that others have a better life (Chou & Edge, 2012;Haferkamp & Krämer, 2011;Sagioglou & Greitemeyer, 2014;Tandoc, Ferrucci, & Duffy, 2015). In contrast, emerging research focusing on this topic from an emotional contagion perspective suggests that positive posts from others evoke positive emotional responses among viewers, as individuals adopt the positive emotions expressed by others in their posts (Ferrara & Yang, 2015;Hancock, Gee, Ciaccio, & Lin, 2008;Kramer, Guillory & Hancock, 2014).…”

“…Studies have tested the emotional consequences of viewing others' posts in general (e.g., Fardouly, Diedrichs, Vartanian, & Halliwell, 2015;Sagioglou & Greitemeyer, 2014;Vogel, Rose, Okdie, Eckles, & Franz, 2015) or manipulated other factors such as (un)attractiveness or (un)successfulness of the poster (Haferkamp & Krämer, 2011) or tie strength between the poster and the viewer (Lin & Utz, 2015). However, the current experiment specifically compares the effects of viewing strangers' positive posts with viewing neutral or no posts while keeping all other factors constant.…”