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Materialism describes the constant striving to increase and present one's possessions in the form of both material and immaterial goods. Social media, such as Instagram or Twitter, offer materialists new opportunities to pursue and satisfy their materialistic needs and goals. Preliminary work has already shown that materialists use social media to compare their possessions with those of other users and to accumulate digital possessions (in the form of friendships or followers). However, materialistic use of social media does not only bring benefits but could also negatively impact satisfaction with life (as a marker of subjective well-being) under certain conditions. In an online study (N = 1230), we examined the extent to which materialism on social media is associated with lower satisfaction with life. Evaluation of a sequential mediation model revealed that highly materialistic participants exhibited higher social comparison orientation, stronger associations with passive social media use as well as social media addiction, and thus reported higher stress experience resulting in lower satisfaction with life. Further results as well as limitations of the study and an outlook are discussed.

Abstract Background As photo editing behavior to enhance one?s appearance in photos becomes more and more prevalent on social network sites (SNSs), potential risks are increasingly discussed as well. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between photo editing behavior, self-objectification, physical appearance comparisons, self-perceived attractiveness, and self-esteem. Methods 403 participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring the aformentioned constructs. A parallel-sequential multiple mediation model was conducted to examine the relationship between photo editing behavior and self-esteem considering multiple mediators. Results The results indicate that photo editing behavior is negatively related to self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem mediated via self-objectification and physical appearance comparisons. Conclusions The postulated mediation model was justified by our data. Thus, SNS users should be aware of potential negative consequences when using photo editing applications or filters.

A lot of research has been conducted to explore the high amount of daily usage time on social networking sites (SNSs). We suggest a two-dimensional frame of reference for investigating the usage of SNSs, which incorporates both four motives for usage and mode of usage in terms of active/passive usage. A special feature of the item construction was to combine the motive facet and the active/passive facet as integral dimensions in the formulation of items. The advantage of this approach is the comprehensive assessment of SNS use with high content validity. Till now, such a measure, which is based on the two-dimensional frame of reference, does not exist. To fill the gap the aim of our study was to develop the Motives to use SNSs Scale (MOTUS) assessing: (1) active as well as passive use and (2) underlying motives by conducting two studies (N1 = 597, N2 = 437). Study 1 focused on item development, item reduction, and identification of factor structure. The analysis resulted in an eight-factor structure that represented active and passive domains of each motive. Study 2 confirmed this factor structure by showing good values for model fit. The results confirmed the construct validity of the MOTUS. Results are discussed with respect to applications and limitations of the new measure.

The aim of this study was to develop a behavioral report to assess Social Media Use (SMU) distinguishing between rather active and rather passive uses, namely the Social Media Activity Questionnaire (SMAQ). We recruited 1230 participants (963 females) testing its goodness-of-fit. Both the exploratory and the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor-structure of the SMAQ. Internal consistency analyses indicated a high level of reliability for both scales. Furthermore, the results represent evidence of convergent and discriminant validity of the SMAQ scales. The results indicated that Facebook Activity as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were more closely linked to active than to passive SMU. In contrast, social comparison orientation, social media flow experience, social media addiction, fear of missing out, and the social media intensity were more closely linked to passive use than to active use. Thus, the SMAQ represents a straightforward, profound, economical, standardized, valid and reliable measure of SMU. Finally, applications of the SMAQ scales are discussed and limitations of the study are outlined.

As more and more employees have access to work-related information and communication technologies (ICTs) anywhere and anytime, new challenges arise in terms of well-being and recovery experiences. Feelings of workplace fear of missing Out (wFoMO) and workplace telepressure may be personal demands that add to the literature of the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory. In this study, we proposed a model in which wFoMO and workplace telepressure were associated with employee well-being variables via the use of ICTs during leisure time. Therefore, we analyzed the data of N = 130 employees who answered two questionnaires in the interval of one work week. The results revealed negative indirect effects between wFoMO/workplace telepressure and psychological detachment/perceived stress via ICT use. The results were more ambivalent regarding the dependent variables burnout, relaxation, and control. This strengthens the literature that categorized ICT use as a job demand. However, we also found positive indirect effects on perceived informational benefits, which supports the idea of ICTs being both a job demand and a job resource in light of the JD-R theory. This study contributes to past research on work-related ICT use during leisure time and demonstrates the relevance of personal demands such as wFoMO for employees’ well-being.

Social networks are gaining widespread popularity, with Instagram currently being the most intensively used network. On these platforms, users are continuously exposed to self-relevant information that fosters social comparisons. A distinction is made between ability-based and opinion-based comparison dimensions. To experimentally investigate the influence of these comparison dimensions on users’ subjective well-being, an online exposure experiment (N = 409) was conducted. In a preliminary study (N = 107), valid exposure stimulus material was selected in advance. The results of the main study indicated that the exposure to ability-related social comparisons in the context of social media elicited lower well-being than exposure to opinion-related social comparisons. The theoretical and practical implications of this study consist of including the findings in clinical settings, e.g., affective disorder therapy, and the identification and reduction of ability-related content on social networking sites (SNSs). Future work should include assimilation and contrast effects which might interact with social comparison orientation and well-being.

In the context of COVID-19 virus containment, there is a lack of acceptance of preventive measures in the population. The present work investigated which factors influence the belief in scientific propositions compared with belief in conspiracy theories. The focus here was on the determinants of conspiracy beliefs in the context of COVID-19 related media content. Using an online questionnaire (N = 175), results indicate that scientific compared to conspiracy-theoretical media content led to higher acceptance. Furthermore, need for cognition (NFC-K), a conspiracy-theoretical worldview (CMQ), and openness to experience (NEO-FFI) were positively associated with conspiracy beliefs derived from Facebook postings. In addition, a conspiracy-theoretical worldview was negatively associated with belief in scientific media content. Furthermore, agreeableness was unrelated to conspiracy beliefs, although it was positively associated with conspiracy-theoretical worldview. The results imply promising persuasion strategies for reducing conspiracy-theoretical beliefs and to increase the acceptance of preventive measures.

Introduction: People who experience high levels of daily stress often resort to intensive social media use (SMU). In the short-term, this can contribute to relief and positive emotions. However, in the longer-term, intensive online activity can foster addictive tendencies. The present longitudinal study investigated the association between daily stress and addictive SMU. Methods: Data were assessed in a sample of 211 social media users (Mage (SDage) = 22.50 (5.00)) from Germany via online surveys at two measurement time points in winter 2020 (baseline, BL), and three months later in spring 2020 during the first Covid-19 lockdown (follow-up, FU). Results: In moderated mediation analyses, the positive relationship between daily stress (BL) and addictive SMU (BL) and (FU) was significantly mediated by the level of perceived online social support (BL). Physical activity (BL) (e.g., jogging and cycling) significantly moderated the relationship between online social support (BL) and addictive SMU (BL) and (FU). Specifically, the association between both variables was significant for medium and low frequency of physical activity, but not for high frequency. Limitations: The mostly female and relatively young sample composition limits the generalizability of the present findings. No experimental manipulation of the potential predictors of addictive SMU was introduced limiting the causal interpretation of the current results. Conclusions: The current findings disclose mechanisms that could reduce the risk of addictive SMU. Specifically, a conscious increase of physical activity could prevent the transformation of positive emotions evoked by the perception of online social support into addictive tendencies.

Past research showed that social networking sites represent perfect platforms to satisfy narcissistic needs. The present study aimed to investigate how grandiose (GN) and vulnerable narcissism (VN) as well as social comparisons are associated with Facebook activity, which was measured with a self-report on three activity dimensions: Acting, Impressing, and Watching. In addition, the state self-esteem (SSE) was measured with respect to performance, social behavior, and appearance. One hundred and ten participants completed an online survey containing measures of SSE and Facebook activity and a priming procedure with three experimental conditions embedded in a social media context (upward comparison, downward comparison, and control group). Results indicated, as expected, that high VN was negatively associated with SSE on each subscale and the overall score. In addition, it was found that VN, but not GN, displayed positive associations with frequency of Facebook activities. Finally, it was proposed and confirmed that VN in interaction with the priming of downward comparisons negatively affected SSE. The conclusion drawn is that VN represents a key variable for the prediction of self-esteem as well as for the frequency of Facebook activity.

In this study, we examine chronic materialism as a possible motive for Facebook usage. We test an explanatory mediation model predicting that materialists use Facebook more frequently, because they compare themselves to others, they objectify and instrumentalize others, and they accumulate friends. For this, we conducted two online surveys (N1 = 242, N2 = 289) assessing demographic variables, Facebook use, social comparison, materialism, objectification and instrumentalization. Results confirm the predicted mediation model. Our findings suggest that Facebook can be used as a means to an end in a way of self-regulatory processes, like satisfying of materialistic goals. The findings are the first evidence for our Social Online Self-regulation Theory (SOS-T), which contains numerous predictions that can be tested in the future.