• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1626-1638
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• 2019

Social Networking Sites (SNS) provide people with unique online social interaction environments where users can disclose their thoughts, feelings, and opinions to their personal contacts. Although previous studies have suggested that such activities produce positive effects on SNS user well-being, this study considered potential negative effects by investigating the relationship between SNS use and depression. In particular, This stydy examined how specific activities are related to different types of social comparison (upward/downward/horizontal) and how these different types of social comparison influence depressed moods among college students. The analysis of a survey of 245 Instagram users found that (1) looking at other people's status updates and commenting on other people's photos influences upward social comparison, (2) frequency of Instagram use predicts upward/downward/horizontal social comparison, and (3) upward social comparison was postively associated with depression, while downward social comparison was negatively associated with depression. Furthermore, the path anlaysis show that social comparison mediates the effect of Instagram use on depression. It suggests that Instagram use does not directly increase depression but it can lead to depression when social comparison on Instagram triggers depression.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.99-116
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• 2013

This study examines whether product promotions are influenced by the market standing of promoted products, using social comparison theory (upward versus downward comparisons). It is hypothesized that people in possession of a product that is inferior to the one on promotion express less discomfort about the promotion and use the information more than do people in possession of a superior product. People in possession of an inferior product may also exhibit more positive attitudes toward the product on promotion, but may show poorer attitudes toward their own possessed product than do people with a superior product. This is because people in an inferior socioeconomic position show a strong motivation to improve themselves through upward social comparison, whereas people in a superior socioeconomic position maintain a strong sense of superiority in downward social comparison, which suggests strong endowment effects. The findings mainly support the hypotheses, and suggest that sales promotions are more effective for people who currently own an inferior product, but not for people with a superior product, who have a strong motivation to maintain their sense of superiority. The findings also imply that, in order to attract consumers in the superior market, managers for inferior products need to turn to methods other than sales promotions, which may include introducing a new brand or sub-brand, or emphasizing luxury and modern features. In contrast, managers for superior products may emphasize product functions and attributes of superior products in their promotions, as people with inferior products may consider such information as benefits of the superior products.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.41-63
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• 2018

Incidental envy influences behavior in various domains. However, no research, to date, has investigated whether incidental envy influences interpersonal behavior toward others who are unrelated to the emergence of the emotion. That is, the literature is silent on how those who experience incidental envy engage in interpersonal contact and how this may affect consumers. In this paper, we address this question by investigating the influence of incidental envy on interpersonal contact with others of higher or lower status based on the social comparison theory. We demonstrate that incidental envy (versus a neutral emotion) motivates people to contact higher status others to facilitate upward assimilation (experiments 1 and 2). We also show that when competition (a situational factor that heightens the personal relevance of the interaction with the target) is involved, individuals who feel envy (versus a neutral emotion) are more likely to contact lower status others to engage in downward contrast (experiment 3). We conclude with a discussion of the practical implications of our findings.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.