#Instaenvy The Role of Social Comparison Orientation in the Relationship Between Exposure to Instagram and the Emotion of Envy

Abstract

Instagram is one of the fastest growing yet least researched social media platforms of today. The image-oriented nature of Instagram allows its users to literally construct and convey an image of themselves and their lifestyles. This can lead to the manipulation of reality and idealised self-presentation where individuals depict themselves in ways that meet the ideals of society. While Instagram is seen as a fun way of creating and interacting, these idealised self-presentational posts can possibly be harmful to individuals who have high Social Comparison Orientations (SCO) and are prone to compare themselves with others. This research aimed to further the understanding of the relationship between the frequency of exposure to Instagram and the emotion of envy while exploring if Social Comparison Orientation acts as a moderator or mediator of this relationship. Data was collected through an online survey distributed through social media and personal contacts. The survey questions were based on scales from previous studies on SCO and social media use. The collected data was analysed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS in order to determine whether SCO was significant as a moderator or mediator. This research found that SCO was a statistically significant mediator rather than a moderator of the relationship between exposure to Instagram and the emotion of envy. The results showed that exposure to Instagram was positively related to SCO, which in turn was positively related to the emotion of envy.