• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.238-248
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• 2020

This study examines the feelings of positivity and negativity generated through upward social comparison and explores the impact of the results of the emotions on SNS users' posting behavior. In particular, this study aims to systematically identify the influence of upward social comparison on SNS followers and uploaders' SNS usage behavior and the structural principle of social network circulation in which followers become uploaders again. According to the analysis, interaction-oriented followers made negative upward social comparison and positive upward social comparison, while negative upward social comparison reduced the publication of independence tendency. However, positive upward social comparison has been shown to increase both independent and interactive postings. The results of this study are meaningful in that SNS has expanded the results of prior studies, in which social comparison theories were biased toward negative upward comparisons, to positive upward comparisons. In addition, this study suggested a practical strategy for SNS platform operators on how SNS users would not deviate from other platforms.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.574-590
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• 2016

This research aims to examine the effects of various types of social comparison in SNS on users' life satisfaction. For this, this research posited four types of social comparison including upward contrast, upward identification, downward contrast and downward identification that might affect SNS users' life satisfaction. Several other factors including demographic variables, SNS usage time, offline social capital and social comparison orientation as control variables were taken into account and the moderating effects of social comparison orientation in the relationships between four types of social comparison and users' life satisfaction was also examined. An online survey was employed for collecting data and the date collected were analyzed with hierarchical regression analysis. The results showed that ages and marriage status have influences on SNS users' life satisfaction. It was proven that the degrees to which SNS users participate in family activities and club/group activities in which they are interested have correlations with their life satisfaction. The findings also revealed that only upward contrast and upward identification among four types of social comparison have influences on the life satisfaction and there is the moderating effect of social comparison orientation on the relationship between upward identification and life satisfaction. On the basis of the results, the necessity of new perspectives in understanding social comparison experience in SNS as compared to the existing literature were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.143-150
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• 2023

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between consumption value of sports products, upward consumption propensity, and post-purchase happiness among adolescents. The subjects of the study were extracted from adolescents in Chungcheong-do by convenience sampling method, and 257 people were used in the final analysis. Statistical methods were frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The research results are as follows. First, social value and exploratory value, which are sub-factors of consumption value, were shown to have a significant effect on upward consumption propensity, but functional value and self-value were found to be statistically insignificant. Second, social value, self-value, and functional value, which are sub-factors of consumption value, had a significant effect on post-purchase happiness, but exploratory value was found to be statistically insignificant. Third, the upward comparison propensity was found to have a significant effect on post-purchase happiness.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.91-102
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• 2020

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.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.59-77
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• 2015

Social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook, provide abundant social comparison opportunities. Given the widespread use of SNSs, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of exposure to social media-based social comparison on user's negative emotions and discontinuous use intention on SNS. We present evidence that under the use of SNS, social comparison activities diverge into three patterns, with explicit self-evaluation desire made against similar target (lateral comparison), self-defense desire made against less fortunate target (downward comparison), and self-enhancement desire made with more fortunate target (upward comparison). Such social comparison processes frequently arise, as people are increasingly using on SNSs, the downward contacts ameliorating self-esteem with positive emotions, but the upward contacts and standard contacts with lateral status enabling a person to compare his or her situation with others and simultaneously increase negative emotions due to its differences with others. In other words, as people increasingly relying on SNSs for a variety of everyday tasks, they risk overexposure to upward or standard social comparison information that may have a cumulative detrimental impact on future intention on SNS use. This study with survey with 209 SNS users found that these negative emotions lead to negative fatigue (attitude) and then discontinuous use intention (behavior) on SNS. Our findings are among the first to explicitly examine discontinuous use intention on SNS using social comparison theory and our results are consistent with those of past research showing that upward social comparisons can be detrimental.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.27-51
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• 2012

The current paper examines the effect of collectivism on perceived youth unemployment anxiety as well as mental health and the mediating effects of employment self-efficacy; self-esteem; and the frequency of upward and downward social comparisons. In Study 1, data were gathered from 179 university students in upper-ranking schools and middle-ranking schools in Seoul, Korea. Our results indicated that (a) collectivism was positively correlated to, and also an significant predictor of perceived youth unemployment anxiety and mental health and (b) employment self-efficacy and self-esteem had mediating effects on the relationship between collectivism and perceived youth unemployment anxiety and mental health. In Study 2, data were gathered from 118 students in upper-ranking schools in Seoul, Korea. Our results indicated that (c) upward social comparison had mediating effects on the relationship between collectivism and perceived youth unemployment anxiety and mental health, while downward social comparison did not. The findings are discussed in terms of their general implications for understanding the importance of culture in employment seeking settings.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.9-46
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• 2013

The degree of delegation related to the social security acts is involved in the candidate selection methods and the standing committee system. The social security acts with a small amount of delegation have an affinity with the bottom-up selection methods and the standing committee to guarantee long term in office. In Germany, the bottom-up selection method which guarantees the right of party members to nominate candidates and the standing committee to guarantee long term in office have an affinity with the Social Acts with less delegation. But the social security acts with a large number of delegation have an affinity with the top-down selection methods and the standing committee not to guarantee long term in office. In Korea, the top-down selection method in which the central headquarter of the party dominates the selection process, and the standing committee whose members are to be selected every two years have an affinity with the Social Security Acts with the excessive delegation.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.33-60
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• 2009

This study aimed at examining whether the national rental housing supplied by Korea National Housing Corporation (KNHC) is truly contributing to the upward mobility of housing in low-income households without their own house by comparatively analyzing whether those who moved out of the national rental housing made upward, horizontal or downward housing type mobility. The subjects of this study included 333 people who had moved out of three national rental housing complexes in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do in 2007, which had opened to the first residents two years ago. A telephone survey involving the subjects was carried out. Collected data were analyzed through frequency analysis, cross tabulation analysis and multiple regression analysis, with using the type of residential mobility(downward mobility, horizontal mobility or upward mobility) according to "housing size" and "housing costs" as a dependent variable, and personal and family environment and economic environment as independent variables. According to the results of the analysis, 76.4% of the households made an upward mobility, 1.6% remained little changed, and 22% moved downward in terms of "housing costs," compared to before moving into the national rental housing and while living there. Furthermore, in terms of "housing size" 61.8% of the households moved upward, 16.5% remained little changed and 19.7% moved downward. The variables affecting the upward mobility of housing type included the number of income earners in a household, income earner's occupation and education level. Income earner's amount of income, age and family to support, on the other hand, turned out to have little effect on the upward mobility. Based on the results of the study, the following suggests were made for the supply of effective national rental housing. First, various features of each type of residential mobility should be reflected. Second, national rental housing residents' self-sufficiency should be enhanced to help them move upward in housing type.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.89-114
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were : (1) to find out subjective well-being structural model of people with disabilities, (2) to compare the female's subjective well-being structural model with male's. Based on previous researches related to subjective well-being of non-disabled, I applied a integrative model of bottom-up and top-down theories to subjective well-being of people with disabilities. Data were gathered from 497 persons with disabilities(253 males and 244 females) in Korea. This research shows that the female's level of life satisfaction is not different to male's. In female group, the objective life conditions(the level of education, family income, and to have jobs or not) and self esteems are important variables in subjective well-being structural equation model. In male group, on the other side, recognition about social support level is important variable. Various theoretical and practical implications for social work practice were discussed.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.281-304
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• 2018

This paper aims at analysing what impacts the experience of self-employed business have had on the income mobility. Since 2000s, the flexibilization of labor market and the population aging led to the increase of the number of self-employed job as many retirees at the age of early 50s has set up the self-employed business as a bridge job. However, previous researches just have emphasized on the impoverishment of the self-employed, but not focused on what different effects the experience of self-employed had on the income class mobility by age group. This paper compares the difference in the income class mobility by age group and employment status, and analyses its longitudinal trends. According to the result, as a whole the experience of self-employed has positive effect on the upper mobility of income class, but it become disadvantageous for the upper mobility as the age goes up. When belonging to the age group over 60s, the experience of self-employed rather increases the risk of lowering income class. Just as the experience of self-employed has different effects on income class mobility by age group, so the differentiated measures for age groups are demanded.