It’s kind of a “keeping up with the Jones” issue, but in the digital age.
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Social media has always been a target of studies that linked it to narcissistic behavior, anxiety and depression.
Based on the survey data, the researchers were also able to establish a negative link between the envy that arises while on Facebook and users’ general life satisfaction.
The study, which surveyed 1,193 Facebook users at a German university, found that many people are driven to post because of a need to compete and keep up appearances.
Facebook posts that refer to vacations, trips overseas, concerts, hangouts and other social events garnered the most envious responses, according to the study, “Why Following Friends Can Hurt You”. “You have to take the good with the bad, but I think it’s important for people to know that there is a bad side and to be aware of it”.
Izak Benbasat joined Simi Sara to discuss the study.
The millions of active Facebook users that post on the social media platform may have various reasons for why and what they share, but there could be two common motivators behind it all.
“But if you ask them about what others feel when they’re using Facebook the number becomes 50 per cent”.
The study, which was published in the latest issue of Information Systems Research, also found out that most Facebook users do not really admit that they feel envious of others. A vicious cycle is set in motion: users feel envy when viewing others” posts and “retaliate’ by coming up with posts of their own punctuated by self-importance.
Professor Benbasat noted that some users do not want to say that they are envious on the social media platform.
Reports on the psychological impact of social media have gained prominence over the years as more and more people are using websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But that can have negative consequences for users’ emotional wellbeing, the researchers warn.
Benbasat says the functionality of social networks encourages envy-inducing behaviour, and that’s unlikely to change.
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“We have to realize that most people are trying to show themselves in the best light – we have to take that into account”. It was co-authored by Helena Wenninger, Peter Buxmann, Hanna Krasnova and Thomas Widjaja.
