Social Media Social Comparison and Identity Processing Styles: Perceived Social Pressure to Be Responsive and Rumination as Mediators

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Social comparison refers to the process of comparing oneself with others as a way to understand and evaluate oneself (Festinger, 1954). Despite the growing attention to online social comparison, most studies have focused on the psycho-emotional implications of the behavior (de Vries et al., 2018; Feinstein et al., 2013), leaving its identity implications ambiguous. Given the importance of identity processing styles (how people approach identity-related issues; Berzonsky, 2011) and the prevalence of social media use among emerging adults (Pew Research Center, 2019), especially during the transition to college (Yang et al., 2018), this study explored how social comparison on social media predicted identity processing styles among college freshmen.

Social comparison (Festinger, 1954) is an intriguing behavior as it is both social and self-attentive. To socially compare, individuals have to consider the social environment and other people; they also need to attend to their own state and performance (Festinger, 1954). It was hypothesized that social comparison on social media would predict identity processing styles through two routes—one involving a social component, namely social pressure to be responsive via social media (Halfmann & Rieger, 2019; Hall, 2017), and the other rumination, a type of self-attentiveness (Nolen-Hoeksema et al., 2008).

Short-term longitudinal survey data were collected from college freshmen (NT1 = 219, NT2 = 136; Mage = 18.29; 74% female; 41% White). At T1, participants responded to scales measuring social media social comparison (Yang et al., 2018), perceived social pressure to be responsive on social media (Hall & Baym, 2011), rumination (Trapnell & Campbell, 1999), and identity processing styles (Berzonsky et al., 2013). Identity processing styles were also measured at T2; αs=.79-90. Data were missing completely at random: MCAR test χ2 (35) = 44.07, p = .14.

Controlling for T1 identity processing styles, the hypothesized model was examined using Mplus, with maximum likelihood robust being the estimator. The model fit well: χ2 (15) = 19.92, p = .18; RMSEA = .039, 90% CI [.000-.079]; CFI = .980; TLI = .953. T1 social media social comparison positively associated with concurrent perceived social pressure to be responsive on social media, which, in turn, predicted less utilization of T2 informational identity processing style. T1 social media social comparison also positively associated with concurrent rumination, which predicted more use of T2 diffuse-avoidant style (Table 1, Figure 1).

Comparing oneself with others was associated with experiencing more social pressure of being responsive on social media, which, likely due to the high level of cognitive resources consumed by the pressure (Halfmann & Rieger, 2019), predicted less utilization of the informational identity processing style. At the same time, online social comparison indirectly and positively predicted the use of the diffuse-avoidant style via rumination. The study expands the literature by showing that social comparison influences not only affect, emotions, and evaluation of the self (de Vries et al., 2018; Feinstein et al., 2013; Vogel et al., 2014), but also how people approach their identity, which can have a long-term impact on the unity, stability, and growth of the identity (Berzonsky, 2011).

Author

• Chia-Chen Yang, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
  Presenting Author