The Role of Social Comparison in the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health
Abstract
Against the backdrop of the growing prevalence of social media, adolescents are confronted with psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, and diminished self-esteem in the course of their engagement with social media. This paper explores the role of social comparison in the association between social media use and adolescent mental health from the perspectives of social psychology and media psychology. Drawing on the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Cultivation Theory, and Social Comparison Theory (SCT), this paper investigates the impact of social comparison on the motivational, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of adolescents. Social comparison, as discussed in this paper, can potentially facilitate self-improvement through an incentive effect; however, it may also exacerbate psychological distress under the influence of idealized content and algorithmic reinforcement. This paper provides theoretical implications for comprehending the psychological impacts of social media and for the development of adolescent media literacy.
References
- McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory [Internet]. Google Books. 2025. Available from: https: //books.google.com.my/books?hl=zh-CN& lr=& id=SzpdBAAAQBAJ& oi=fnd& pg=PP1& ots=jP97kYkird& sig=fQrmYnhAdqJvczcuWL8L01fDjco& redir_esc=y#v=onepage& q& f=false
- Ruggiero TE. Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century. Mass Communication and Society [Internet]. 2000; 3(1): 3–37. Available from: https: //www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_02
- Gerbner G, Gross L. Living with Television: the Violence Profile. Journal of Communication. 1976; 26(2): 172–99.
- Morgan M, Shanahan J, Signorielli N. Cultivation Theory in the Twenty-First Century. The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory. 2014 Mar 28; 26: 480–97.
- Festinger L. A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations [Internet]. 1954 May; 7(2): 117–40. Available from: https: //journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/001872675400700202
- Crusius J, Corcoran K, Mussweiler T. Social Comparison: Theory, Research, and Applications. Theories in Social Psychology. 2022 Mar 14; 165–87.
- Li Y. Upward social comparison and depression in social network settings. Internet Research. 2019 Feb 4; 29(1): 46–59.
- Pelletier MJ, Krallman A, Adams FG, Hancock T. One size doesn't fit all: a uses and gratifications analysis of social media platforms. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing [Internet]. 2020 Jun 1; 14(2): 269–84. Available from: https: //www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JRIM-10-2019-0159/full/html
- Le Blanc-Brillon J, Fortin JS, Lafrance L, Hétu S. The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults' mental health. Frontiers in Psychology. 2025 Aug 8; 16.
- Verduyn P, Gugushvili N, Massar K, Täht K, Kross E. Social comparison on social networking sites. Current Opinion in Psychology [Internet]. 2020 Apr; 36(36): 32–7. Available from: https: //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X20300464
- Whiting A, Williams D. Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research. 2013; 16(4): 362–9.
- Wang JL, Wang HZ, Gaskin J, Hawk S. The Mediating Roles of Upward Social Comparison and Self-esteem and the Moderating Role of Social Comparison Orientation in the Association between Social Networking Site Usage and Subjective Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology [Internet]. 2017 May 11; 8. Available from: https: //www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00771/full
- Lai WT, Chung CW, Po NS. How do media shape perceptions of social reality? A review on cultivation theory. Journal of Communication and Education [Internet]. 2015; 2(2). Available from: http: //hkaect.org/jce/2(2)/Lai_Chung_Po_2015_JCE_2(2)_p8-17.pdf