How many likes did I get?: Purpose moderates links between positive social media feedback and self-esteem.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.09.005

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Volume 69, March 2017, Pages 232-236

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.09.005 Get rights and content

Abstract

Sociometer theory asserts that self-esteem is calibrated to one's perceived relational value. Accordingly, positive feedback should boost self-esteem because it signals acceptance by others. Yet, the extent to which self-esteem is sensitive to positive feedback may depend on individuals' sense of purpose. In two studies (N = 342), we tested purpose in life as a source of self-directed and prosocial motivation and predicted that having greater purpose would lessen sensitivity to social media feedback. Study 1 revealed that the number of likes individuals received on their Facebook profile pictures was positively associated with self-esteem. Study 2 replicated these findings experimentally by manipulating the number of likes individuals received on self-photographs posted to a mock Facebook site. In both studies, links between likes and self-esteem were diminished for those with greater purpose. Implications for purpose as a moderator of the self-esteem contingencies of positive social feedback are discussed.

Section snippets

Participants and procedure

Participants were 300 adults (49% women) between the ages of 18 and 69 (M_age = 32.63, SD = 10.20) recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Because past studies have relied on much smaller sample sizes to detect moderating effects of purpose in life on ratings of self-relevant attitudes and satisfaction (sample sizes ranging from 49 to 151; Heisel and Flett, 2004, Steger et al., 2011), we sought to utilize a much larger sample to test our predictions. Data collection did not depend on any analysis

Study 2

In Study 1, individuals self-reported the number of likes they typically receive on their Facebook profile pictures. However, such reporting is susceptible to bias due to social desirability and recall limitations, potentially leading to faulty estimates. In addition, the correlational nature of the data obscured evidence of the directionality of the demonstrated effects. To address these limitations in Study 2, we used an experimental manipulation to inform participants that they received

General discussion

While the like button did not appear on Facebook for the site's first five years of operation, its emergence has not gone unnoticed. With billions of likes conferred daily, the common Facebook user may be justified in worrying less about whether anyone will like what they post and instead wonder just how many likes they will receive. When the aim is to boost self-esteem, the current research suggests: the more the better. Whether self-reported (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2), receiving a

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FlashReportHow many likes did I get?: Purpose moderates links between positive social media feedback and self-esteem.

Abstract

Section snippets

Participants and procedure

Study 2

General discussion

Personal. Individ. Differ.

Personal. Individ. Differ.

Comput. Hum. Behav.

Comput. Hum. Behav.

Personality and Individual Differences

Social sharing of emotions on Facebook: Channel differences, satisfaction, and replies

Social network activity and social well-being

Derailed by diversity? Purpose buffers the relationship between ethnic composition on trains and passenger negative mood

Personal. Soc. Psychol. Bull.

The development of purpose during adolescence

Appl. Dev. Sci.

Self-esteem reactions to social interactions: Evidence for sociometer mechanisms across days, people, and nations

J. Pers. Soc. Psychol.

The mini-IPIP scales: Tiny-yet-effective measures of the big five factors of personality

Psychol. Assess.

Having responsive Facebook friends affects the satisfaction of psychological needs more than having many Facebook friends

Basic Appl. Soc. Psychol.

Does task-related identified regulation moderate the sociometer effect? A study of performance feedback, perceived inclusion, and state self-esteem

Soc. Behav. Personal. Int. J.

Purpose in life, satisfaction with life, and suicide ideation in a clinical sample

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment

Master of one's psychological domain? Not likely if one's self-esteem is unstable

Personal. Soc. Psychol. Bull.

FlashReport
How many likes did I get?: Purpose moderates links between positive social media feedback and self-esteem.