Truman State Social Media: 

The Connection Between Self-Esteem, Social Media Intensity, and Social Comparison

 

Travis J. Koons
Dr. Anton Daughters and Dr. Brian Ott, Faculty Mentors

This study explored the potential relationship between social media use and self-esteem. Surveys were distributed to a randomized cluster sample of 193 college students (125 female, 68 male) that collected data on the participants’ social media use intensity, their tendency to make social comparisons, and their demographic backgrounds. The results were attained through a series of multiple regressions. Females were more likely than males to make social comparisons and had significantly higher social media intensity scores. Individuals who were more likely to make social comparisons were also more likely to use social media more intensely and have poorer self-esteem, but no direct correlation between social media use and self-esteem or the participants’ sex and self-esteem could be found. The results suggested that the general effects of social media on self-esteem may depend on the motivation for its use rather than who uses it or how often they use it.

Keywords: social media, self-esteem, social comparison

Topic(s):Anthropology
Communication
Sociology

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA