Instagram or TikTok?: Effects of using social media to cope with feelings of ostracism
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Dr. Whitney Heppner
Abstract
Background: Social media engagement (SME) may provide a meaningful source of such social contact, however it is unclear whether contact via social media is effective for managing negative life experiences. The current study proposes to examine these ideas jointly. We hypothesize that passive scrolling on Instagram will exacerbate negative feelings following ostracism, while passive scrolling through TikTok will work as an effective coping mechanism, decreasing negative feelings following ostracism. Methods: For the current ongoing study, participants first complete a survey measuring their baseline mood, demographics, and dispositional measures. Then, all participants are ostracized using Cyberball (Williams et al., 2006). The Cyberball paradigm will employ 40 throws of a ball among 4 “online participants.” 3 of the “participants” are computer generated. After the first twenty throws, the computer generated participants begin to leave out the real subject. After the 40 throws participants complete a collection of state measure surveys including state self-esteem, mood, and envy. They are then randomly assigned to passively scroll through TikTok or Instagram for 10 minutes. After that, they are given a final state survey measure. Following this, they are fully debriefed and thanked for their participation. Results: We predict that passively scrolling on TikTok will be a more effective mechanism for coping with induced ostracism than Instagram. Specifically, we expect that using TikTok following ostracism will result in improved mood and state self-esteem, and less envy compared to using Instagram following ostracism. Implications: If our hypotheses are supported, the results would suggest that TikTok helps with college students coping with feeling ostracized, and that Instagram is not an effective coping mechanism. This may provide college-aged individuals with a more effective strategy for engaging with social media during or after facing stressful events.
Start Date
27-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
27-3-2024 9:50 AM
Location
Magnolia Ballroom
Instagram or TikTok?: Effects of using social media to cope with feelings of ostracism
Magnolia Ballroom
Background: Social media engagement (SME) may provide a meaningful source of such social contact, however it is unclear whether contact via social media is effective for managing negative life experiences. The current study proposes to examine these ideas jointly. We hypothesize that passive scrolling on Instagram will exacerbate negative feelings following ostracism, while passive scrolling through TikTok will work as an effective coping mechanism, decreasing negative feelings following ostracism. Methods: For the current ongoing study, participants first complete a survey measuring their baseline mood, demographics, and dispositional measures. Then, all participants are ostracized using Cyberball (Williams et al., 2006). The Cyberball paradigm will employ 40 throws of a ball among 4 “online participants.” 3 of the “participants” are computer generated. After the first twenty throws, the computer generated participants begin to leave out the real subject. After the 40 throws participants complete a collection of state measure surveys including state self-esteem, mood, and envy. They are then randomly assigned to passively scroll through TikTok or Instagram for 10 minutes. After that, they are given a final state survey measure. Following this, they are fully debriefed and thanked for their participation. Results: We predict that passively scrolling on TikTok will be a more effective mechanism for coping with induced ostracism than Instagram. Specifically, we expect that using TikTok following ostracism will result in improved mood and state self-esteem, and less envy compared to using Instagram following ostracism. Implications: If our hypotheses are supported, the results would suggest that TikTok helps with college students coping with feeling ostracized, and that Instagram is not an effective coping mechanism. This may provide college-aged individuals with a more effective strategy for engaging with social media during or after facing stressful events.