Impact of Exposure to Type of Instagram User on Self-Esteem of Young Adults: An Experimental Study

Item

Title
Impact of Exposure to Type of Instagram User on Self-Esteem of Young Adults: An Experimental Study
Creator
Claire Elise Ann Grieb
Exit Requirement
Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Date of Award
2022-12-15
Honors Program Director
Gavin Keulks
Faculty Advisor
Chehalis Strapp
Abstract
The current study examines the effects of social media on self-esteem, comparing the impact of Influencers compared to typical individual postings. It was hypothesized that self-esteem scores would decrease for participants shown “Influencer” photos from high-profile accounts with over 10,000 followers or more, compared to exposure to “typical” accounts with less than 1,000 followers. Participants included 96 college students including 81 women, 12 men, and three non-binary individuals, ranging in age from 18-54 years (M age = 23.21 years, SD= 8.46). Participants were asked to complete the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Test (Rosenberg, 1965) before and after being randomly assigned to view “Influencer” or “typical” photos. Contrary to predictions, individuals exposed to influencer photos did not show decreases in self-esteem more so than individuals exposed to typical photos Mixed ANOVA F (1, 94) = .13, p > .05, η2 = .00. The current study showed that exposure to influencer photos did not decrease self-esteem.
Type
Text
Department
Honors
Language
eng
Rights
Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/01/2023, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/