• 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.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.186-199
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• 2021

SNS (social networking service) plays an important role in delivering information regarding fashion brands and providing a space for communication between fashion retailers and SNS users, as well as between users. This study primarily focuses on exploring the relationships among the motivation of SNS users and social comparison, clothing purchasing behaviors and the difference in the relationships according to individual characteristics. An online survey was conducted on Chinese female consumers in their 20's and 30's who had experience in fashion SNS. A total of 297 women completed online survey. The results of the study revealed that: (1) consumers who have stronger motivation of information seeking and interpersonal communication through fashion SNS reached more active upward comparison and peer comparison accordingly; (2) upward comparison had a significant effect on conspicuous consumption and bandwagon, while peer comparison had no significant effect; and (3) the self-esteem of fashion SNS users significantly moderated the effect of social comparison on conspicuous consumption and conformity consumption. This study contributed to expanding the knowledge on the relationships among the motivations of SNS users and social comparison, and shed light on Chinese SNS users' characteristics and purchasing behaviors in the fashion SNS context. This study also provides vital implications to fashion brands and retailers.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.27-39
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between self-control behavior, social comparison attitude, self-efficacy and health promotion activities of college students who had health related majors (nursing, dental hygiene, health administration). Methods: The subjects consisted of 413 college students. Data were collected by self reported questionnaires that were designed to evaluate self-control behavior, social attitudes, self-efficacy and health promotion lifestyle (HPLP). Data were analyzed using the SPSS/PC win 14.0 program. Results: Upward & parallel comparison, self-efficacy and parents income were positively correlated with health promotion activities by college students. The most significant predictors of health promotion activities for college students were self-efficacy and self-control behavior. Conclusion: Health promotion activities for college students are influenced by self-efficacy, self-control behavior, and upward comparison. In conclusion, to increase the health promotion activities of college students, methods designed to increase self-efficacy should be prepared while considering the self-control behavior and comparative propensity towards others.

• 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.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.371-381
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the mediating effects of self-esteem between social comparison orientation and social network service (SNS) addiction in university students. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. The data were statistically analyzed by using the descriptive and inferential statistics. Sobel test and Bootstrap method, and Kappa squared mediation effect size measure were used to identify the mediator's significance. A convenience sample of 195 subjects was recruited from two universities in Korea. Results: The mean age of the subjects was $22.58{\pm}1.81$. The subjects showed relatively high levels of SNS addiction with a mean score of $14.33{\pm}4.80$. The overall model significantly explained 37.0% of variances in the subjects' SNS addiction after controlling gender, age, grade, major, period of SNS using, time spent on SNS per day, and times accessed SNS per day. Of the predictors, time spent on SNS per day, social comparison orientation, and self-esteem were significantly associated with SNS addiction. Self-esteem was the mediator between social comparison orientation and SNS addiction. Conclusion: When developing strategies for preventing SNS addiction, interventions for reducing time spent on SNS per day, not having upward social comparison orientation, and improving the self-esteem should be considered. These findings might provide a theoretical basis for developing effective strategies for preventing SNS addiction in university students.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-129
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• 2016

Purpose Today, world-wide societies share their daily life and many communities exchange their information through the explosive developed SNS and the social media systems. However, many SNS fatigue related factors forced the discontinuance of SNS. This paper is aim to examine effect of SNS feature and negative emotion to figure out the reason of SNS discontinuance. This is verifying the effect of maintenance of SNS, security concern and psychological concern on SNS fatigue and the effect of upward/lateral comparison on negative emotion. Moreover, the effect of SNS fatigue and negative concern on the SNS discontinuance intention was examined. Design/methodology/approach This research used to the survey method to test its hypotheses and the survey population is Facebook SNS users. A software tool called AMOS 18 is used to analyze the structural equation model. Findings The results showed that maintenance of SNS, security concern and psychological concern had a positive effect on SNS fatigue respectively and upward/lateral comparison did on negative emotion. In addition, SNS fatigue and negative emotion had significant effect on discontinuance intention.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.131-163
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze how social comparative learning of forum participants affects learning effects with an emphasis on participants' characteristics. As today's society is changing at a fast pace, the desire for new knowledge and information has grown accordingly. To quench this thirst for knowledge and information, seminars, symposiums, conferences, forums, conventions, exhibitions, and more are taking place as part of knowledge sharing events across the world. Also, the increased need for knowledge and information exchange has led the development and growth of the convention industry and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (Exhibitions)(MICE) industry. Especially, forum is a type of event which invites professionals and specialists to discuss diverse topics and share their knowledge and experience with the audience. The participants utilize it as an opportunity to get close to information providers and enjoy the pleasure of knowledge exchange. However, there have been few empirical analyses on who the participants are, why they attend forum, how they pick up and learn new information and knowledge, and what kinds of learning effects they achieve after the event. This paper is to analyze how social comparative learning of the forum's participants influences learning effects based on Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory (1977, 1997, 1982. 2001) and Leon Festinger's Social Comparative Theory (1950, 1954). By dividing the participants into two groups, one with high level of self-efficacy and the other with low level of self-efficacy, we have examined the differences in learning effects between the two groups using them as moderating variables. This study was conducted in 'MBN Y Forum 2016,' which is one of the most representative knowledge exchange forums of South Korea. An online survey was distributed out and, 1,307(39.2%) out of the total participants of 3,338 have completed the survey. The survey included questions about whether the participants have gained positive or negative motivations by comparing themselves to the speakers (upward comparison learning) and other participants (lateral comparison learning). The results have shown the quality of messages that the speakers are presenting as knowledge providers is the most significant factor that acts on learning effects. Particularly, the participants had higher levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem than average people. They had a clear goal to learn from the speakers (upward comparison) and received positive motivations from them. In other words, no negative learning effects had been found. This presents a managerial implication that having a qualified speaker is necessary for a forum to be successful. On the other hand, the results from the comparison with the other participants (lateral comparison) were different. The participants were likely to compare themselves to the other participants through observational learning. They could compare listening attitudes, language skills, or capabilities to ask a question. The results have showed the participants received positive motivations from the lateral group but at the same time were jealous of abilities of the others. When the quality of a question by a participant is not good enough, it can have a negative influence on the participants' learning effects. The first group with high levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem had no correlation to negative learning effects from the speakers. They rather had a strong desire to learn from the speakers. On the contrary, the participants perceived the lateral group as a learning subset and competitor. The second group with low levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem saw the quasi-group as a rival. This presents that the individual learning effects can be different depending on the participants' characteristics.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2023

Background: Although visual examination and palpation are used to assess shoulder motion in clinical practice, there is no consensus on shoulder motion under dynamic and static conditions. This study aimed to compare shoulder joint motion under dynamic and static conditions. Methods: The dominant arm of 14 healthy adult males was investigated. Electromagnetic sensors attached to the scapular, thorax, and humerus were used to measure three-dimensional shoulder joint motion under dynamic and static elevation conditions and compare scapular upward rotation and glenohumeral joint elevation in different elevation planes and angles. Results: At 120° of elevation in the scapular and coronal planes, the scapular upward rotation angle was higher in the static condition and the glenohumeral joint elevation angle was higher in the dynamic condition (P<0.05). In scapular plane and coronal plane elevation 90°-120°, the angular change in scapular upward rotation was higher in the static condition and the angular change in scapulohumeral joint elevation was higher in the dynamic condition (P<0.05). No differences were found in shoulder joint motion in the sagittal plane elevation between the dynamic and static conditions. No interaction effects were found between elevation condition and elevation angle in all elevation planes. Conclusions: Differences in shoulder joint motion should be noted when assessing shoulder joint motion in different dynamic and static conditions.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.365-374
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• 2008

Using flight simulator tasks with 48 air force cadets, this research examined the effects of pilots' flight skill and self-esteem on risk-taking behavior in the context of social comparison with their cohorts. Flight skill and self-esteem were assessed for individual cadets and three conditions of social comparison (upward-, downward-, and no-comparison) were devised. Flight simulator situations inappropriate for further approach or landing were designed to assess pilots' risk-taking behavior. Weather conditions in the simulator were inadequate to make a landing and the recommended strategy was to break off the approach and attempt a go-around. In this experiment, pilots' risk taking was measured in terms of their approach altitudes; the lower approach altitudes indicative of the higher risk-taking. Our results showed interaction effects of flight skill, self-esteem, and social comparison on risk-taking behaviors. For pilots who were either high or low in both self-esteem and flight skill, social comparison had no effect on risk-taking behavior. However, pilots with high self-esteem but low flight skill showed more risk-taking behaviors in social comparison conditions. And, pilots with low self-esteem but high flight skill showed risk-aversive behaviors in the downward-comparison condition.