Social Comparison
Now that it is known that images in the media can cause certain women to perform social comparison, it is vital for the original hypothesis to see if this comparison brought on by images impacts self-esteem. A study by Vogels et al. (2015) suggests that social comparison orientation (SCO) produces negative outcomes is associated with social media use. SCO is the same factor as the social comparison (SO) in the Dittmar and Howard (2004) study. They believe that people high in SCO are very aware of people around them and thus are more drawn to social media because the expansive networks allow individuals to connect to a wide variety of others, and we can learn a large amount about these people from their profiles, inciting upward social comparison.
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Results from the second study show that those with lower self-esteem had higher SCO. Overall, the researchers found that Facebook is appealing to those who have high SCO despite the negative outcomes. They also found that those with high SCO may use Facebook for self-improvement as it is key in social comparison. Lastly, they found that due to social comparison, those high in SCO will feel better about their own selves by looking at others who are doing well. As found in the Dittmar and Howard (2004) study, certain women are prone to social comparison. Because of this, the results from the Vogels et al. (2015) study support the hypothesis that media images cause an increase in social comparison and thus a lowered self-esteem. Because the participants were looking mainly at images on Facebook, it can be assumed that similar results would come from a study of other image-based social medias. Additionally, the result that a lower self-esteem correlates to higher social comparison is vital to the support of the main hypothesis (p. 252-255). Results from Goodings and Tucker’s (2014) study should also be taken into consideration when looking at the relationship between SCO and social media platforms. Their study found that these platforms, especially Facebook, have a high multiplicity. Because of this, individuals can create multiple selves. In this, individuals are able to display certain features
Results from the second study show that those with lower self-esteem had higher SCO. Overall, the researchers found that Facebook is appealing to those who have high SCO despite the negative outcomes. They also found that those with high SCO may use Facebook for self-improvement as it is key in social comparison. Lastly, they found that due to social comparison, those high in SCO will feel better about their own selves by looking at others who are doing well. As found in the Dittmar and Howard (2004) study, certain women are prone to social comparison. Because of this, the results from the Vogels et al. (2015) study support the hypothesis that media images cause an increase in social comparison and thus a lowered self-esteem. Because the participants were looking mainly at images on Facebook, it can be assumed that similar results would come from a study of other image-based social medias. Additionally, the result that a lower self-esteem correlates to higher social comparison is vital to the support of the main hypothesis (p. 252-255). Results from Goodings and Tucker’s (2014) study should also be taken into consideration when looking at the relationship between SCO and social media platforms. Their study found that these platforms, especially Facebook, have a high multiplicity. Because of this, individuals can create multiple selves. In this, individuals are able to display certain features