EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON SELF-ESTEEM IN YOUNG PEOPLE

By Christina McKee

INTRODUCTION

• Media use is on the rise

• Don’t know much about the psychological effects

HOW DOES SOCIAL NETWORKING AFFECT THE SELF-ESTEEM OF YOUNG

PEOPLE?

OUTLINE

• Negative Effects of General Exposure

• Specific Negative and Positive Effects

• Correlational and Experimental Designs

• Suggested Conclusions

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE

• Time spent

• Cyber bullying

• Implicit comparisons

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

• Receiving negative feedback

• Focusing on others’ information*

• High level of investment

LEVEL OF INVESTMENT

• Dedication to the site

• Negative self-esteem

• Depressed mood

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

• Receiving positive feedback

• Self-presentation

• Focus on close friends

FOCUSING ON CLOSE FRIENDS

• Browse Facebook

• Self-presentation

• Focus on close friends

• Higher self-esteem

Self-Esteem Levels As a Result of Tie Strength

Tie Strength

Self-E

steem

CORRELATIONAL VS. EXPERIMENTAL

CORRELATIONAL DATA

• Most studies correlational

• Limitation: not causal results

• End up with or already have low self-esteem?*

EXPERIMENTAL DATA

• Only two of the six studies

• May be more artificial due to high levels of control

• Really use Facebook this way, or only because they were told to?

• STRENGTH OF CORRELATIONS: Naturalistic!

CONCLUSIONS

• Psychological effects of social networking not well known

• Others Negative self-esteem

• Self Positive self-esteem

REFERENCES

• Acar, A. (2008). Antecedents and consequences of online social networking behavior: The case of Facebook. Journal of website promotion, 3(1-2), 62-83.

• Gonzales, A. L., & Hancock, J. T. (2011). Mirror, mirror on my Facebook wall: Effects of exposure to Facebook on self-esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(1-2), 79-83.

• Neira, B., Corey, J., & Barber, B. L. (2014). Social networking site use: Linked to adolescents' social self‐concept, self‐esteem, and depressed mood. Australian Journal of Psychology, 66(1), 56-64.

• Social Media Use on the Rise Among Seniors - SiteProNews. (2013, August 6). Retrieved December 9, 2014.

• Solis, B. (2012, December 12). Social Media as the Next Web. Retrieved December 9, 2014.

• Steinfield, C., Ellison, N. B., & Lampe, C. (2008). Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(6), 434-445.

• Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A. P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship to adolescents' well-being and social self-esteem. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 584-590.

• Wilcox, K., & Stephen, A. T. (2013). Are close friends the enemy? Online social networks, self-esteem, and self-control. Journal of Consumer research, 40(1), 90-103.

SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

• Bridging social capital

• Correlational, longitudinal study

• Strangers for professional purposes

• Those with lower self-esteem benefited most

SELF-ESTEEM AND STRANGERS

• Facebook usage

• Multi-faceted questionnaire

• Including strangers harmful to self-esteem