Social media social comparison and identity distress at the college transition: A dual-path model

Social media provide a convenient platform for social comparison, an activity that should play an important role in youth's identity development at the transition to college. Yet, the identity implications of online social comparison have not been thoroughly explored. Drawing on the theories of social comparison, introspective processes, and identity distress, we examined a dual-path model. The paths from two types of social media social comparison (i.e., comparison of ability and comparison of opinion) to two introspective processes (i.e., rumination and reflection) and finally to identity distress were tested.

Short-term longitudinal survey data were collected from 219 college freshmen at a state university in the United States of America (M_age = 18.29, S.D. = 0.75; 74% female; 41% White, 38% Black).

Social comparison of ability on social media had a positive association with concurrent rumination, which predicted higher identity distress. In contrast, social comparison of opinion on social media had a positive relationship with concurrent reflection, which, however, did not predict identity distress.

Results indicate that different types of online social comparison yield distinct implications for young people's identity development. Largely, the study reaffirms the recently rising call for distinguishing the competition-based social comparison of ability from the information-based social comparison of opinion. At the same time, the study expands current knowledge of why these forms of social comparison may lead to differential outcomes, namely through the type of introspection they induce.