‪Facebook use and individual well-being: Like me to make me happier!‪

Alexandre Mayol () and Thierry Pénard

Revue d'économie industrielle, 2017, vol. n° 158, issue 2, 101-127

Abstract: ?This article aims to study how Facebook use influences individual well-being. We conducted a survey on a representative sample of 2,000 French Facebook users. Our results showed that Facebook interferes with subjective well-being through its effects on friendships, self-esteem and social comparison. Hence, we found a positive relationship between receiving a large number of ?Likes? and comments from Facebook friends and level of life satisfaction. In contrast, people that did not receive as many ?Likes? as they hoped for tended to be more unsatisfied with their life. The latter result suggests that Facebook use can exacerbate frustration and envy. Our findings underline the ambivalence of Facebook use?which has both positive and negative psychological effects on well-being?and raise questions about the viability of Facebook if it cannot satisfy all of its users.?

Keywords: Facebook; Well-Being; Social Networking; Online Sociability; Social Comparison (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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