Facebook Users’ Engagement and Perceived Life Satisfaction

Tammy R. Vigil and H. Denis Wu
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Tammy R. Vigil: College of Communication, Boston University, Boston, USA
H. Denis Wu: College of Communication, Boston University, Boston, USA

Media and Communication, 2015, vol. 3, issue 1, 5-16

Abstract: This study extends existing research on Facebook’s impact on users’ life satisfaction. The results from two surveys of college students demonstrate a tension between Facebook use and users’ perceived contentment with their lives. Existing literature indicates students use Facebook to enhance self-esteem, yet the results from this study connect increased Facebook use to lower self-reported levels of happiness. In particular, respondents’ interactions with photos and videos increase users’ dissatisfaction. This phenomenon may be due to the impact photos have on the ways users engage in social comparisons with Facebook “friends” and the self-construals they create based on these comparisons.

Keywords: Facebook; happiness; life satisfaction; self-construal; social comparison; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v3:y:2015:i:1:p:5-16

DOI: 10.17645/mac.v3i1.199

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