Annotated Bibliography

Dutot’s article evaluates the impact of social media on life satisfaction. He asserts that with increased dependency on social media, social media’s dark side is evident. His research focuses on the social media impact on the self-esteem of individuals, studying variables such as addiction, narcissism, and fear of missing out. He obtained the results through a quantitative survey of a sample of 260 individuals. The results affirmed that the three variables, narcissism, fear of missing out, addiction, and how they influence individuals’ self-esteem (Dutot, 2020). Based on the findings, FOMO is a fundamental dissatisfaction driver in social media users. However, the study found out that it has a more significant impact on women’s self-esteem than men. This study contributes to the hypothesis of social media and depression and anxiety in that it reveals how variables such as fear of missing out lead to dissatisfaction in life. The dissatisfaction results in anxiety and depression, showing a trajectory of how social media affects users’ mental health.

Dumas, T., Maxwell-Smith, M., Tremblay, P., Litt, D., & Ellis, W. (2020). Gaining likes, but at what cost? Longitudinal relations between young adults’ deceptive like-seeking on Instagram, peer belonging, and self-esteem. Computers In Human Behavior, 112, 106467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106467

The authors sought to study how seeking likes on Instagram deceptively relates to users’ sense of belonging and self-esteem (Dumas et al., 2020). They posit that deceptive behavior such as seeking and other deceitful acts that aim to gain attention are on the rise on Social Networking Sites (CNSs). Respondents completed two online surveys, which were three months apart. According to the study’s findings, deceptive like-seeking weakened peer belonging feelings over time. Further, it concluded that youths who had stronger peer-approval increased their deceptive behavior over time (Dumas et al., 2020). Also, those with low self-esteem had high chances of being affected by the perceived peer norms on Instagram. This study contributes to the hypothesis in that it shows how deceptive online behavior affects youths’ self-esteem, which is later reciprocated in their mental health, leading to anxiety and deception. When they fail to secure the number of likes they want, they become stressed because they do not adhere to the perceived peer norms.

Sharifian, N., Zaheed, A., & Zahodne, L. (2021). The role of envy in linking active and passive social media use to memory functioning. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000318

The authors posit that social media is a bed lock of social comparison, where users compare themselves with others, feel dissatisfied with themselves, and become envious of others. Consequently, the negative socio-emotional status that such people suffer compromises their memory. The study sought to examine whether the socio-emotional effects related to social comparisons, such as self-esteem and envy, mediate the relationship between memory and social media use. Also, they examined if passive or active social media use moderated the associations. The study found that high levels of envy with high social media usage resulted in memory failures. Additionally, high social media usage for active users depicted higher envy rates. Based on the hypothesis, social media use proves to cause anxiety and depression because if users could envy others, their memory is affected, and consequently, their mental health. Thus, it is a crucial source in justifying that social media leads to anxiety and depression.

Diefenbach, S., & Anders, L. (2021). The psychology of likes: Relevance of feedback on Instagram and relationship to self-esteem and social status. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000360

The article sought to study how social media users subjectively perceive the relevance of their feedback on Instagram and how it affects their self-esteem and social status. Feedback was studied in terms of frequency, on factors like the number of likes and followers. The authors concluded from an online survey of 255 respondents that low social status and low self-esteem are associated with higher feedback relevance. It means that when they fail to get the amount of feedback they wish, Instagram users’ self-esteem and social status decrease. Self-esteem and social status are some of the leading factors that could affect an individual’s mental health (Diefenbach & Anders, 2021). Thus, when they are affected, it means the individuals might, in the end, be depressed or suffer anxiety because their emotional and psychological expectations are not met. Hence, when justifying the hypothesis, using this study is crucial because it gives insight into how excessive use of social media causes anxiety and depression.

Ferguson, C., Kaye, L., Branley-Bell, D., Markey, P., Ivory, J., & Klisanin, D. et al. (2021). Like this meta-analysis: Screen media and mental health. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000426

It is a recent study where the authors focused on examining whether screen time is related to mental health. They conducted a meta-analysis that analyzed various studies to investigate any proof that screen time affects mental health. Across the studies, the authors concluded that screen time is less related to mental health and that there is no evidence to support its contribution to any form of cognitive outcome. They investigated screen time in terms of social media and smartphones. Although this study contrasts with the hypothesis, there is no evidence that screen time does not affect mental health. In this case, mental health could be affected indirectly via screen time. However, the article contributes to the hypothesis by giving an insight into various studies related to screen media and mental health.

References

Diefenbach, S., & Anders, L. (2021). The psychology of likes: Relevance of feedback on Instagram and relationship to self-esteem and social status. Psychology Of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000360

Dumas, T., Maxwell-Smith, M., Tremblay, P., Litt, D., & Ellis, W. (2020). Gaining likes, but at what cost? Longitudinal relations between young adults’ deceptive like-seeking on Instagram, peer belonging, and self-esteem. Computers In Human Behavior, 112, 106467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106467

Dutot, V. (2020). A social identity perspective of social media’s impact on satisfaction with life. Psychology & Marketing, 37(6), 759-772. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21333

Ferguson, C., Kaye, L., Branley-Bell, D., Markey, P., Ivory, J., & Klisanin, D. et al. (2021). Like this meta-analysis: Screen media and mental health. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000426

Sharifian, N., Zaheed, A., & Zahodne, L. (2021). The role of envy in linking active and passive social media use to memory functioning. Psychology Of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000318