Does Instagram make us feel better or worse? : How Upward Social Comparisons on Instagram Influences Young Adults’ Psychological Well-being.

In this research, I will examine how upward social comparisons on Instagram affect the psychological well-being of young adults. Upward social comparisons are comparisons people make with someone superior to themselves. Right now, there is much debate about whether social media platforms like Instagram negatively influence the well-being of their users, mostly because of the upward social comparisons. This research aims to see if Instagram is as negative as the media says it is. Furthermore, there will be mediating effects measured which might affect the well-being of the users. Namely, envy and inspiration. These emotions come from upward social comparisons and are predicted to mediate the psychological well-being of the users of Instagram. Also, differences in gender will be measured as it is predicted that gender will have a moderating effect.