• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.91-102
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• 2020

Contingent self-esteem can be maintained by meeting the standards of social or introjected values. This study investigated whether social media-related contingent self-esteem was associated with depression in Instagram users; in a sample of 319 Instagram users, we examined the effect of contingent self-esteem on depression and the mediating effect of upward social comparison on this theorized relationship. The study findings indicated that higher contingent self-esteem predicted higher levels of depression for a week in Instagram users, which could be explained by the upward social comparisons made on this application, and showed that Instagram users with higher contingent self-esteem tended to compare themselves with other users they considered superior, thereby increasing their depression. This study provided evidence for the mechanism underlying the association between using social media and psychological well-being and indicated the vulnerability of contingent self-esteem within the social media context. Other implications and future research directions were also discussed.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.87-100
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• 2023

This study aimed to check the role of SNS upward comparison and SNS usage motivation in the effect of contingent self-esteem on inferiority feelings by verifying the link between each variable in young adults. Depending on passed studies, a study model for the relationship of each variable was founded and the moderated mediation effect was checked. We performed a survey on 400 young adults using SNS through an online survey, and finally, a total of 351 data were employed for analysis. The outcome of the analysis was as follows. First, contingent self-esteem, SNS upward comparison, SNS usage motivation, and inferiority feelings were all affirmed to reveal a positive correlation. Second, contingent self-esteem had an important impact on inferiority feelings, which was mediated by SNS upward comparison. Third, the relationship between SNS upward comparison and inferiority feelings was moderated by SNS usage motivation. Finally, SNS usage motivation moderated the indirect effect of contingent self-esteem on inferiority feelings via SNS upward comparison. Based on the results of this study, we presented the psychological and emotional implications that can experience the inferiority feelings in young adults.