Social Media Usage and Self-Esteem of College Students in Los Angeles vs. Other American Cities

This study examines self-esteem levels of college students in accordance with their social media behaviors and residential cities. An online survey was used to compare Instagram behaviors and their Heatherton Self-Esteem scores between 51 college students from the Los Angeles area and 148 students from alternate American cities. It was hypothesized that college students from the Los Angeles area would report higher levels of social media activity and lower levels of self-esteem. Results did not show any significant trend in one’s residential location dictating social media behaviors, nor did one’s social media usage predict their levels of self-esteem. The study did find statistically significant results showing that students from Los Angeles reported higher levels of self-esteem than non-Los Angeles residents. Implications from this study can assist in determining how the social pressures from one’s geographical location may influence a person’s self-esteem and relationship with social media