Most Facebook Posts Inspired by Envy, Finds Study

Most Facebook Posts Inspired by Envy, Finds Study
Advertisement
What drives you to keep posting your "good times" pictures on Facebook? Envy is a key motivator behind such posts and that contributes to a decrease in mental well-being among users, says a new study.

"Creating a vicious cycle of jealousy and self-importance, Facebook leads users to feel their lives are unfulfilling by comparison, and react by creating posts that portray their best selves," said lead researcher professor Izak Benbasat from University of British Columbia, Canada.

Social media participation has been linked to depression, anxiety and narcissistic behaviour, but the reasons have not been well explained.

"We found envy to be the missing link," Benbasat said.

According to Benbasat, travel photos are a leading contributor to Facebook envy, pushing friends to post their most perfect pictures.

He says the unrealistic portrayal of life is not motivated by the desire to make others jealous, but rather a need to compete and keep up appearances.

For the study, Benbasat and his co-authors surveyed 1,193 Facebook users at a German university.

Benbasat said the functionality of social networks encourages envy-inducing behaviour, and that's unlikely to change.

"Sharing pictures and stories about the highlights of your life - that's so much of what Facebook is for, so you can't take that away," he said.

"But I think it's important for people to know what impact it can have on their well-being," he warned.

The study was published in the journal Information Systems Research.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, Social, Social Media
Google Glass Successor Will Be Much More Compact, Tips Patent
Toshiba Considering Splitting Off Chip Business and Listing It
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »