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http://dx.doi.org/10.14695/KJSOS.2020.23.3.91

Instagram User's Contingent Self-Esteem and Depression: A Mediating Role of Upward Social Comparison  

Cho, Seong-Yun (광운대학교 산업심리학과)
Noh, Hwan-Ho (광운대학교 산업심리학과)
Lee, Byung-Kwan (광운대학교 산업심리학과)
Rim, Hye Bin (광운대학교 산업심리학과)
Publication Information
Science of Emotion and Sensibility / v.23, no.3, 2020 , pp. 91-102 More about this Journal
Abstract
Contingent self-esteem can be maintained by meeting the standards of social or introjected values. This study investigated whether social media-related contingent self-esteem was associated with depression in Instagram users; in a sample of 319 Instagram users, we examined the effect of contingent self-esteem on depression and the mediating effect of upward social comparison on this theorized relationship. The study findings indicated that higher contingent self-esteem predicted higher levels of depression for a week in Instagram users, which could be explained by the upward social comparisons made on this application, and showed that Instagram users with higher contingent self-esteem tended to compare themselves with other users they considered superior, thereby increasing their depression. This study provided evidence for the mechanism underlying the association between using social media and psychological well-being and indicated the vulnerability of contingent self-esteem within the social media context. Other implications and future research directions were also discussed.
Keywords
Instagram; Contingent Self-Esteem; Upward Social Comparison; Depression; Social Media;
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