Social networks may inflate self-esteem, reduce self-control
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| Andrew T. Stephen |
Users of Facebook and other social networks should beware of
allowing their self-esteem -- boosted by "likes" or positive comments
from close friends -- to influence their behavior: It could reduce their
self-control both on and offline, according to an academic paper by researchers
at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia Business School that has recently
been published online in the Journal of
Consumer Research. Titled "Are Close Friends the Enemy? Online Social
Networks, Self-Esteem, and Self-Control," the research paper demonstrates
that users who are focused on close friends tend to experience an increase in
self-esteem while browsing their social networks; afterwards, these users
display less self-control. Greater social network use among this category of users
with strong ties to their friends is also associated with individuals having
higher body-mass indexes and higher levels of credit-card debt, according to
the paper.
"To our knowledge, this is the first research to show that
using online social networks can affect self-control," said coauthor
Andrew T. Stephen, assistant professor of business administration and Katz
Fellow in Marketing in the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate
School of Business and College of Business Administration. "We have
demonstrated that using today's most popular social network, Facebook, may have
a detrimental affect on people's self-control."
Stephen coauthored the research with Keith Wilcox, assistant
professor of marketing at Columbia Business School. The paper includes the
results of five separate studies conducted with a total of more than 1,000 U.S.
Facebook users.
In the researchers' initial study, participants completed surveys
about how closely they're connected to friends on Facebook. Then they were
split into two groups: one group that wrote about the experience of browsing
Facebook and another group that actually browsed Facebook. Both groups then
completed a self-esteem survey. Regardless of whether the participants wrote
about Facebook browsing or actually browsed the site, the participants with
weak ties to Facebook friends did not experience an increase in self-esteem,
but those with strong ties to friends had an enhanced sense of self-esteem.
Stephen and Wilcox's second study evaluated why Facebook users
with strong ties to friends were more likely to experience an increase in
self-esteem. Participants were prompted to browse Facebook for five minutes.
Some were told to pay attention to the status updates and other information
people were sharing with them. Others were directed to concentrate on
information they were sharing. The researchers concluded that browsing Facebook
only increased participants' self-esteem when they were focused on the
information they were presenting to others.
"We find that people experience greater self-esteem when
they focus on the image they are presenting to strong ties in their social
networks," said Wilcox. "This suggests that even though people are
sharing the same positive information with strong ties and weak ties on social
networks, they feel better about themselves when the information is received by
strong ties than by weak ties."
Cookies, granola bars, and word puzzles were part of the
methodology of the third and fourth studies, which established the link between
self-esteem and self-control. Participants in the third study were instructed
either to check Facebook or read news articles on CNN.com, then choose between
eating a granola bar or a chocolate-chip cookie. Those who had browsed Facebook
were more likely to choose the cookie. Participants in the fourth study were
given anagram word puzzles to solve after either checking Facebook or reading
TMZ.com, a celebrity news and gossip website. The Facebook browsers were more
likely to give up on the puzzles.
The fifth investigation, an online field study, examined the
relationship between online social network use and offline behaviors associated
with poor self-control. Participants completed a survey asking about their
height and weight, the number of credit cards they own and the amount of debt
on them, and how many friends they have offline, among other questions.
"The results suggest that greater social network use is associated with a
higher body-mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score, and
higher levels of credit-card debt for individuals with strong ties to their
social network," the researchers wrote.
Stephen and Wilcox say the five studies have implications for
policy makers because self-control is an important mechanism for maintaining
social order and well-being. "It would be worthwhile for researchers and
policy makers to further explore social network use in order to better
understand which consumers may be particularly vulnerable to suffering negative
psychological or social consequences," the authors wrote.
The paper, published online in
November, is scheduled for publication in the June 2013 print edition of the Journal of Consumer Research.
Stephen and Wilcox are contemplating a future inquiry into social networks and
behavior that would address the long-term effects of Facebook on users.
"It would be interesting," they wrote, "to explore the
persistence of the effect of browsing Facebook over time."
Source: Columbia Business School
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