Inspired by Friends: Adolescents' Network Homophily Moderates the Relationship between Social Comparison, Envy, and Inspiration on Instagram

2019

© Copyright 2019, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Research on the negative psycho-emotional implications of social comparisons on social network sites such as Instagram has rapidly accumulated in recent years. However, little research has considered the extent to which such comparisons can elicit positive motivational outcomes for adolescent users, specifically inspiration. Furthermore, little is known about whether it matters whom young people compare themselves to on Instagram (i.e., network composition) and how this may modulate the emotional outcomes of Instagram social comparisons. The present study thus sought to determine how adolescents' Instagram comparisons of ability associate with inspir…