Social Media Usage, Social Comparison and Psychological Well-Being among University Students

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the inter-linked relationship between social media usage, social comparison and psychological well-being among the university students. The data was collected from 300 university students from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Convenience sampling technique was used. Three instruments were used to measure the study variables i.e., social media addiction scale (SMAS) it was used to check social media usage among university students. Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Scale (INCOM) was used to check social comparison. Flourishing Scale (FS) was used to check psychological well-being of university students. The study's findings revealed that the social media addiction scale and the social comparison orientation scale, as well as the social comparison orientation scale and the Flourishing scale, had a strong positive link. In addition, social comparison has a significant impact on psychological well-being but social media usage doesn’t. Also, it indicated that there is an inter-linked relation between social media usage, social comparison and psychological well-being. The results also imply a difference between the scores of the both genders, the difference was insignificant. The mean score of females on social media usage was slightly higher than the male population. The study has several implications especially with reference to teachers training programs and health practitioners. For instance, counseling sessions can be conducted for the psychological well-being of university students.