Histoire  |  Géographie  |  Économie  |  Société

 

Li-Lan Guo, 2004 | Villars-sur-Glâne, FR

 

In today’s world, many young people heavily consume social media. However, they are significantly affected by it (Verduyn et al.’s 2020 study), which showed that social media could have varying effects on well-being.
I therefore chose to explore this phenomenon more deeply, focusing specifically on Instagram and targeting young adults. Through my survey, which collected 125 responses, I analyzed the participants› results to determine whether increased time spent on social media correlates with a higher likelihood of self-comparison and a decrease in self-esteem.
I observed that time spent on social media is correlated with both social comparison and self-esteem. The age of the participants also plays a role, though this may be a consequence of their time spent on social media. However, the sample size is too small to confirm my hypotheses definitively. Nonetheless, the observed trends suggest that the bigger issue lies in using multiple social media platforms simultaneously rather than Instagram alone, as this has a greater impact on social comparison and self-esteem.

Introduction

My goal is to understand the extent to which Instagram and social media impact an individual’s self-esteem. Countless studies have shown that the more time someone spends on social media, the more likely they are to experience lower self-esteem. Additionally, Instagram, being a highly visual platform, is known to increase the likelihood of social comparison.
Furthermore, I chose to focus on young adults, as they are among the most affected groups, ranking second after adolescents.

Methods

I conducted a survey in which participants rated their social comparison and self-esteem using a Likert-type scale. A higher score indicated a greater tendency to compare themselves to others and higher self-confidence.
Out of 125 responses, with participants ranging from 15 to 60 years old, I analyzed their age, the types of social media they use, and the amount of time they typically spend on these platforms. I applied an ANOVA test and calculated the correlation, standard deviation, and average for each factor and group.

Results

Several relationships can be observed. On one hand, there is a positive correlation between time spent on social media and social comparison (r = 0.31, p < 0.01), meaning that the more time individuals spend on social media, the more they compare themselves to others. However, it is especially significant for those who spend more than an hour per day on these platforms. On the other hand, time spent on social media is negatively correlated with self-esteem (r = -0.36, p < 0.001), indicating that individuals who spend the most time on social media tend to have lower self-esteem. Additionally, social comparison is negatively correlated with self-esteem (r = -0.46, p < 0.001), meaning that as social comparison increases, self-esteem decreases. Age also plays a role, as it is significantly correlated with social comparison (r = -0.42, p < 0.001), self-esteem (r = 0.48, p < 0.001), and time spent on social media (r = -0.51, p < 0.001). Specifically, older participants tend to use social media less, engage in less social comparison, and report higher self-esteem. However, age may be a consequence of time spent on social media rather than an independent factor. Finally, gender does not have any significant influence on the survey results.

Discussion

All the results are significant to suggest that social media, particularly Instagram, does indeed impact both social comparison and self-esteem—intensifying the former while diminishing the latter. Nonethless, further researches options could be by doing additional analyses on a larger sample and by incorporating multivariate models that account for all variables to determine the most influential factors in explaining self-confidence.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the more time an individual spends on social media, the more likely they are to compare themselves to others, leading to lower self-esteem. Furthermore, age plays a significant role, as older individuals—who use social media less—tend to experience lower levels of social comparison and higher self-esteem. However, age itself does not directly influence the results.
To confirm my hypotheses, I would need to conduct another survey with a larger sample and set up longitudinal studies or experiments to test causality. Additionally, I would incorporate multivariate models that account for all variables to determine the most influential factors in explaining self-confidence. I would also include the option for participants to specify which other social media platforms they use.

 

 

Appréciation de l’experte

Audrey Mouton

La candidate a traité avec pertinence un thème actuel dans son travail de maturité, à savoir l’influence des réseaux sociaux sur la comparaison sociale et l’estime de soi. La problématique s’appuie sur des recherches récentes et témoigne d’une compréhension solide du sujet. La méthodologie est pertinente, et une analyse approfondie des données à disposition est proposée avec un excellent esprit critique. Ce travail met en lumière des compétences prometteuses pour de futures recherches en sciences sociales.

Mention:

bien

 

 

 

Collège Sainte-Croix, Fribourg
Enseignant: Xavier Dutoit