Project Title
Does Passive Instagram Use Increase Negative Emotions and States?
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Whitney L. Heppner, PHD
Abstract
Background: Previous studies indicate that Facebook use is linked to aggression (e.g., Demirtas-Madran, 2018). However, little research has examined this relationship experimentally. The current study investigates an alternative social media platform – Instagram – by manipulating exposure to Instagram. We predict that the Instagram usage group will report more negative emotions and states including envy/jealousy, aggression, and narcissism. In contrast, a few studies have emerged showing positive effects of social media engagement (e.g., Hanley et al., 2019; Masciantonio et al., 2021), so we also assess positive outcomes including life satisfaction and positive emotional states. Method: In this ongoing study, participants from a public liberal arts institution in the Southeast complete a series of baseline demographic individual difference measures. Participants come to the lab for a brief mood survey and random assignment into one of two experimental groups for 15 minutes each. In the control group, participants engage with an online coloring app, and participants in the experimental group passively engage with Instagram. Then, participants take a post-survey containing the primary dependent measures: negative and positive states. Results: We will conduct a series of independent samples-t tests to examine differences in the negative states from social media usage. We predict that negative states are higher in the experimental group, and we will examine potential group differences in life satisfaction and positive emotional states. Furthermore, we predict that those with more Instagram use have larger increases in negative states after their passive use in the lab. Conclusion: If our hypothesis is supported, these results would indicate more prevalent negative traits and emotional states after passive exposure to Instagram, supporting previous findings experimentally, thus allowing us to draw causal conclusions and inform Instagram users of potential downsides. Alternatively, if positive states increase with Instagram use, our study may help clarify previously inconsistent findings.
Does Passive Instagram Use Increase Negative Emotions and States?
Background: Previous studies indicate that Facebook use is linked to aggression (e.g., Demirtas-Madran, 2018). However, little research has examined this relationship experimentally. The current study investigates an alternative social media platform – Instagram – by manipulating exposure to Instagram. We predict that the Instagram usage group will report more negative emotions and states including envy/jealousy, aggression, and narcissism. In contrast, a few studies have emerged showing positive effects of social media engagement (e.g., Hanley et al., 2019; Masciantonio et al., 2021), so we also assess positive outcomes including life satisfaction and positive emotional states. Method: In this ongoing study, participants from a public liberal arts institution in the Southeast complete a series of baseline demographic individual difference measures. Participants come to the lab for a brief mood survey and random assignment into one of two experimental groups for 15 minutes each. In the control group, participants engage with an online coloring app, and participants in the experimental group passively engage with Instagram. Then, participants take a post-survey containing the primary dependent measures: negative and positive states. Results: We will conduct a series of independent samples-t tests to examine differences in the negative states from social media usage. We predict that negative states are higher in the experimental group, and we will examine potential group differences in life satisfaction and positive emotional states. Furthermore, we predict that those with more Instagram use have larger increases in negative states after their passive use in the lab. Conclusion: If our hypothesis is supported, these results would indicate more prevalent negative traits and emotional states after passive exposure to Instagram, supporting previous findings experimentally, thus allowing us to draw causal conclusions and inform Instagram users of potential downsides. Alternatively, if positive states increase with Instagram use, our study may help clarify previously inconsistent findings.