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Cited by 241Impact of Technology on AdolescentsBody Image and Dysmorphia StudiesMedia and Digital Communication

“Looking up and feeling down”. The influence of mobile social networking site use on upward social comparison, self-esteem, and well-being of adult smartphone users

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Schmuck, Desirée, Karsay, Kathrin, Matthes, Jörg, Stevic, Anja·2019·Telematics and Informatics
DOI 10.1016/j.tele.2019.101240
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  • Frequent use of SNSs is linked to an increase in upward comparisons.

    “Studies have consistently shown that frequent use of SNSs is linked to an increase in these upward comparisons (Gomez et al., 2022; Schmuck et al., 2019; Vogel et al., 2014).”

    From The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults’ mental health (2025) · cites this paper as Schmuck et al., 2019

    Section 5.3 (page unavailable) reports that more frequent mobile Facebook use predicted greater upward social comparison over time. It found no significant longitudinal relationship for Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, or WhatsApp, so this paper does not support the claim as a general finding about frequent SNS use. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Both the exposure to upward comparisons and their extreme nature are central contributors to the emotional consequences of social media use.

    “Both the exposure to upward comparisons and their extreme nature are central contributors to the emotional consequences of social media use (Gerber et al., 2018; Schmuck et al., 2019; Irmer and Schmiedek, 2023).”

    From The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults’ mental health (2025) · cites this paper as Schmuck et al., 2019

    The Discussion (section 6; page unavailable) reports a direct negative effect of upward social comparison on well-being, supporting the claim about its consequences. Section 2.1 describes comparisons with idealized online portrayals, but the paper does not establish that the *extremity* of a comparison independently contributes to those consequences. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Negative social comparison on social media has been associated with poor mental health such as increased depressive and anxiety symptoms.

    “Similar to PSMU, negative social comparison on social media has been associated with poor mental health such as increased depressive and anxiety symptoms (Appel et al., 2015; Schmuck et al., 2019; Yoon et al., 2019).”

    From Problematic social media use and inhibitory control among post-secondary students (2025) · cites this paper as Schmuck et al., 2019

    The Discussion reports that upward social comparison on social networking sites negatively affects well-being. It mentions an association between Instagram use and depressive symptoms, but does not establish that negative social comparison is associated with depressive symptoms; it does not report anxiety symptoms. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Previous research has often shown that increased SNS use is associated with reduced self-esteem, highlighting risks of upward social comparison.

    “Previous research has often highlighted the risks of upward social comparison on SNSs, showing that increased use is associated with reduced self-esteem”

    From The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults’ mental health (2025) · cites this paper as Schmuck et al., 2019

  • Previous evidence indicates that social comparisons on social networking sites negatively influence self-esteem.

    “This finding is in line with previous evidence that social comparisons on social networking sites negatively influence self-esteem”

    From The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults’ mental health (2025) · cites this paper as Schmuck et al., 2019

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Research works printed but not linked: 35

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Authors
Schmuck, D., Karsay, K., Matthes, J., & Stevic, A.
Affiliations
University of Vienna (AT)
Corresponding author
Schmuck, Desirée
ORCID
Venue
Telematics and Informatics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-09
Volume
42
Pages
101240
ISSN
0736-5853 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.tele.2019.101240
OpenAlex
W2955397421
Cited by
241
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 2
FWCI
36.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Telematics and Informatics (publishedVersion)
  • Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
Keywords
upward social comparison, self-esteem, well-being, Facebook use, Instagram use, smartphone users, adults, social media influence, bidirectional relationship

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