Instagram Use and Self-Esteem: Exploring the Relationship Among Psychological Well-Being

As the world we live in has evolved into a technology-dependent society, concern for obsessive and addictive behaviors to engage on social media platforms is rising. Our society is fixated on physical attractiveness, publicizing success, and showcasing positive attributes. To spread these socially desirable ideals social media is a powerful tool (Russello, 2009). Higher Instagram usage poses a high-risk for psychological concerns, mental health, satisfaction with life, and overall well-being (Sherlock & Wagstaff, 2019). The goal of the present study is to understand the relationship between social media with self-esteem, upward body comparisons, satisfaction with life, and overall well-being. A second goal is to understand how social media usage affects women differently than men. Participants completed a 5-10 minute online survey through Qualtrics. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RESE; Rosenberg; 1965), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, 1985), an adapted version of the Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS; Ellison et al., 2007), and the Body Comparison Scale (BCS; Fisher, et al., 2002) were used to measure psychological health concerns and behaviors associated when using Instagram. Results are expected to support the past literature demonstrating that individuals engaging on Instagram more frequently have lower self-esteem, satisfaction with life, well-being, and engage in more up-ward comparisons. Results are also expected to support past literature which suggests that females use social media more often and as a result, have lower self-esteem in comparison to males. This research gives insight to Instagram\u27s psychological effects and behaviors. Our understanding of time spent actively using Instagram could help foster a broader comprehension of the potentially dangerous effects. Keywords: self-esteem, satisfaction with life, up-ward comparisons, Instagram, socia