How People Use Instagram and Making Social Comparisons Are Associated With Psychological Wellbeing

Abstract

There is a popular notion that social media is a detrimental force in modern society. Previous research has often examined social media from a perspective of dysfunction as opposed to investigating more positive aspects of human functioning. To better investigate positive human functioning, the current research adopts a psychological wellbeing perspective to focus on Instagram, a largely image-based form of social media, and how Instagram might be related to a self-reported ability to flourish (flourishing) and subjective feelings of wellbeing (i.e., feeling positive emotions and negative emotions). A sample of 295 undergraduate students (M age = 20; SD age = 3.34; 265 females and 30 males) completed questionnaire-based measures over an online research platform examining time spent on Instagram, Instagram activities, social comparisons and psychological wellbeing. Self-reported time spent on Instagram a day was not associated with any of the three psychological wellbeing measures. But how people used Instagram was related to psychological wellbeing. Using Instagram to interact with others was positively associated with both flourishing and positive emotions, whilst browsing on Instagram was positively associated with positive emotions. Furthermore, making downward comparisons whilst using Instagram was associated with positive emotions. Conversely, making upward comparisons when using Instagram was negatively associated with flourishing and positive emotions and positively associated with negative emotions. Overall, the research would suggest that using Instagram is not always associated with detriments to wellbeing. But rather, how people use Instagram can be associated with either higher or lower self-reports of psychological wellbeing.