The Impact of Instagram on Self-Esteem, Social Comparison, and Loneliness

Discussion on The Provided Power Point Presentation on Instagram

What Are The Motives And Drivers For Using Instagram ?

How Much Instagram Influences The User’s Self-Esteem?

Do Users Evaluate Themselves In Terms Of The Number Of Followers And Feedback?

Does The Tendency Of Comparison With (Celebrities /Friends ) Increase Or Decrease The User’s Self-Evaluation?

How Often Do You Use Instagram? What Do You Usually Post?

What Is The Difference Between Instagram And The Other Platforms?

What Is The Motive Of Using Instagram More Than Other Social Media Platforms?

From the findings it has been found that instagram possess direct connection with the emotion of the users. The number of likes and positive comments imposes positive impact on the self-esteem and self-confidence of the Instagram users. Not only this, positive comments and appreciation in the form of likes helps the same to deal with negativity in their real life. However majority of the Instagram users stated that negative comments not only discourages them to continue using the application but also possess the potential to enhance their tendency of developing psychological issues like depression. As being stated by Tiggemann and McGill, (2004), negative comments obtained from Instagram raised the body image concern, facial dissatisfaction as well as appearance comparison.

According to the theory of social comparison. Individuals evaluates their own abilities through comparing themselves with others for reducing uncertainty as well as to defining themselves. As per the findings, the number of likes is more important and thus impose greater impact on adolescents (Pittman and Reich, 2016). This fact denotes that lack of real life experience and social communication and bondage enhances the urge to perform narcissist acts. Narcissism can be defined as the pursuit of gratification from egotistic admiration of a self idealized, self image as well as attributes. It has also been found that participants have developed an excessive emotional dependency on Instagram.  However, in spite of the enhanced interconnectivity, a good amount of Instagram users especially young adults are found to be lonelier than other age group. According to Ahadzadeh, Sharif and Ong, (2017), photos posed with friends , regardless of gender and age are found to receive more likes compared to selfish. In case the likes and comments on instagram contribute to intimacy which is required to ensure a simulated social presence, loneliness can be mitigated with the help of social media platforms. Instagram, being a photo-sharing social network, possesses specific characteristics which often make the users susceptible to a good number of negative consequences. The usage of instagram can be considered as positive at a marginal level (Lup, Trub & Rosenthal, 2015). However addiction to the application is highly common and it is found to be directly associated with negative emotions, positive social comparison and depression symptoms. Finally it has been suggested that, frequent usage of Instagram possess negative associations for individuals who follows a good number of stranger as well as positive association with individual who follows fewer strangers.

Reference List

Ahadzadeh, A. S., Sharif, S. P., & Ong, F. S. (2017). Self-schema and self-discrepancy mediate the influence of Instagram usage on body image satisfaction among youth. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 8-16.

Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram# instasad?: exploring associations among instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(5), 247-252.

Pittman, M., & Reich, B. (2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 155-167.

Tiggemann, M., & McGill, B. (2004). The role of social comparison in the effect of magazine advertisements on women's mood and body dissatisfaction. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(1), 23-44.