1The Relationship between Instagram Likes and Self-Esteem
Makada Young
Norfolk State University
Mrs. K. Braunshausen
Experimental Psychology Sec-02-02228
April 23, 2023
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The Relationship between Instagram Likes and Self-Esteem
The growing use of social media, especially among teenagers on sites like Instagram, has
been associated with detrimental consequences on mental health, including anxiety, despair, and
low self-esteem. The effect of likes on a user’s self-esteem and general well-being is one specific
Instagram feature that has been investigated. Developing solutions to encourage teens to use
social media responsibly requires an understanding of this relationship. The goal of this research
review is to examine how self-esteem is impacted by Instagram likes in order to assist mitigate
the detrimental impacts of social media use on mental health. The results of this study could be
applied to the development of treatments to promote beneficial social media use and lessen the
negative effects.
Literature Review
The research article titled “Likes and Problematic Instagram Use: The Moderating Role
of Self-Esteem” looks at the connection between adolescent problematic behavior and the
quantity of likes on Instagram postings. According to the study’s findings (Barry et al., 2019),
problematic platform use may be influenced by the need for social validation as shown by likes.
The detrimental impacts of this conduct can, however, be lessened by increased levels of selfesteem. These results were proven crucial for the creation of intervention programs that target
problematic teenage social media use while keeping the benefits of social networking (Barry et
al., 2019). This study expands the corpus of knowledge on social media use and its effects on
teenage mental health.
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Discuss Study 2
The article investigates two studies conducted by (Jiang et al., 2020) exploring topics to
assess the relationship between Instagram use and psychological wellbeing. The first inquiry
focuses on the relationship between having an Instagram account and psychological health, while
the second seeks to pinpoint the elements that have been linked to reports of anxiety and sadness
among Instagram users. 366 of the 470 participants in the survey had an Instagram account. The
findings showed a relationship between having an Instagram account and better psychological
health, but that relationship was mediated by loneliness and low self-esteem, two factors
connected to sadness and anxiety. Additionally, concerns about Instagram use and social
comparisons made while using the platform were connected to anxiety and despair.
Discuss Study 3
This article reports on a study that examined the relationship between Instagram use,
social anxiety, social comparison, and self-esteem among 388 participants from Singapore
through an online survey. The study found that Instagram use did not directly affect social
anxiety, but that social comparison and self-esteem played a mediating role (Jiang & Ngien,
2020). The study suggests the need for interventions aimed at reducing social anxiety by
decreasing social comparison and enhancing self-esteem among Instagram users. However,
further research is needed to fully understand the complex relationship between social media use
and mental health.
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Discuss Study 4
The research article titled “Exploring the association between frequency of Instagram
use, exposure to idealized images, and psychological well-being in women” investigated the
connection between Instagram use and psychological outcomes in women using a mixed-method
approach. The study found that the frequency of Instagram use was linked to depressive
symptoms, self-esteem, appearance anxiety, and body dissatisfaction. Additionally, the study
found that the association between these factors was mediated by an orientation toward social
comparison. Viewing beauty and fitness photographs on Instagram was correlated with feelings
of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and dissatisfaction with one’s body, as well as a
reduction in the subject’s perception of their own attractiveness (Longobardi et al.,2020).
Discuss Study 5
The article “Follow or be followed: Exploring the links between Instagram popularity,
social media addiction, cyber victimization, and subjective happiness in Italian adolescents”
investigates the relationship between Instagram popularity and subjective happiness among
Italian adolescents, and whether social media addiction and cyber victimization mediate this
association. The study utilized path analysis and involved 345 middle school students with active
Instagram accounts. The findings suggest that the number of followers has a negative indirect
effect on subjective happiness through an increase in social media addiction and exposure to
cyber victimization. However, it also has a positive indirect effect on subjective happiness
through a decrease in social media addiction and exposure to cyber victimization. Thus, the study
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highlights the potential negative repercussions of digital status-seeking behaviors on Instagram
and the importance of promoting appropriate social media use among adolescents.
Methods
Participants
A total of 144 female undergraduates from an Australian institution participated in the
study. The authors distributed flyers and used an online university research participation system
to solicit people. The ages of the people in the sample ranged from 18 to 25, with a mean (SD) of
19.71 years. Participants reported being of European (6.3%), Asian (4.2%), or some other ethnic
background (7.6%) origin, with Australians making up the vast majority (81.9%) (Fardouly et
al.,2015).
Procedures
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not women’s social
comparison and body dissatisfaction were affected by the number of “likes” they received on
their Instagram photos. There were three conditions that participants were randomly assigned to:
an Instagram exposure condition (in which they were asked to browse their own Instagram
account for 5 minutes), a “likes” condition (in which they were asked to count the number of
“likes” on one of their own Instagram posts), or a control condition (in which they were asked to
do nothing) (where they were asked to count the number of dots on a piece of paper). After
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finishing the activity, individuals filled out surveys about their feelings of comparison and
dissatisfaction with their bodies.
Measures
Participants
In this study, we asked participants about their age, their race, and how often they use
Instagram. Self-report questions regarding how often and for how long people use Instagram
were used to compile this data. In this study, participants’ appearance comparison was measured
using the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire’s Appearance Comparison
Subscale (Mackson et al.,2019). There are 7 items on this subscale, each of which can be scored
on a 5-point Likert scale. The authors also measured body dissatisfaction with the MBSRQ-Body
AS’s Dissatisfaction Subscale, which contains 9 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale.
Results
The goal of this study was to determine whether or not Instagram “likes” influenced
participants’ appearance comparisons and levels of body dissatisfaction compared to a control
group. According to the findings, individuals in the “likes” condition reported considerably
higher appearance comparison (M = 3.47, SD = 0.85) than those in the Instagram exposure
condition (M = 3.01, DZ = 0.83) and the control condition (M = 2.98, SD = 0.78). The “likes”
condition had a statistically significant impact on the evaluation of physical attractiveness (F(2,
7
141) = 4.21, p =.02). However, no significant variation in body dissatisfaction was seen across
the three circumstances (F(2, 141) = 0.42, p =.66).
Discussion
The goal of this research was to find out how young women’s “likes” on Instagram affect
their self-perception and level of body dissatisfaction. The findings revealed that young women
who were more frequently exposed to Instagram likes exhibited higher rates of appearance
comparison and body dissatisfaction. In particular, those who were shown more Instagram
photographs of slender and attractive women liked than those who were shown no such photos or
less likes showed greater levels of appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction.
These results emphasize the possible harmful effects of social media on the self-image
and confidence of young women. In light of these findings, it is recommended that everyone, but
particularly young women, keep a close eye on how much time they spend on social media.
The study’s flaws should also not be overlooked. The study was also limited in scope, as
it only included a select group of young women. This makes it hard to know if the findings are
applicable to a wider range of people or ages. Personal characteristics, media exposure, and
social influences were not taken into account, which may also contribute to body dissatisfaction
but were not examined in this study (Martinez-Pecino & Garcia-Gavilán, 2019).
In sum, the findings of this study shed light on the potential for social media to harm
young women’s sense of body image and confidence. It highlights the need for more study to
determine effective techniques for reducing these risks and fostering healthy body image and
mental well-being.
Conclusion
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The five literature examined the connection between Instagram use and mental health,
particularly in adolescents and young adults. Social comparison and approbation were connected
to problematic Instagram use, but higher levels of self-esteem can mitigate the consequences.
Anxiety connected to Instagram use and social comparison was linked to psychological
suffering, although having an Instagram account was associated with greater psychological wellbeing. Instagram use and social anxiety were linked in a way that involved social comparison
and self-esteem. Regular Instagram use was linked to depressed symptoms, low self-esteem,
worry over appearance, and body dissatisfaction, with social comparison acting as a mediating
factor (Fardouly et al.,2015). Adolescents who engage in digital status-seeking behaviors on
Instagram may experience negative consequences, including addiction to social media and
exposure to cyber victimization, which can impact their subjective happiness.
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References
Barry, C. T., Reiter, S. R., Anderson, A. C., Schoessler, M. L., & Sidoti, C. L. (2019). “Let me
take another selfie”: Further examination of the relation between narcissism, selfperception, and Instagram posts. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(1), 22.
Jiang, S., & Ngien, A. (2020). The effects of Instagram use, social comparison, and self-esteem
on social anxiety: A survey study in Singapore. Social Media+ Society, 6(2),
2056305120912488.
Longobardi, C., Settanni, M., Fabris, M. A., & Marengo, D. (2020). Follow or be followed:
Exploring the links between Instagram popularity, social media addiction, cyber
victimization, and subjective happiness in Italian adolescents. Children and youth
services review, 113, 104955.
Martinez-Pecino, R., & Garcia-Gavilán, M. (2019). Likes and problematic Instagram use: the
moderating role of self-esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social
Networking, 22(6), 412-416.
Mackson, S. B., Brochu, P. M., & Schneider, B. A. (2019). Instagram: Friend or foe? The
application’s association with psychological well-being. New Media & Society, 21(10),
2160-2182.
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on
social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and
mood. Body Image, 13, 38-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.12.002
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