Hiding Instagram Likes: Effects on negative affect and loneliness

Wallace, E. ; Buil, I. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Instagram, the social networking site (SNS), recently tested the initiative of hiding the number of Likes a post receives from other users. Instagram''s rationale for hiding Likes was to support wellbeing through reduced competition for Likes. In an experiment with 280 Instagram users in the United States, we investigated the effect of hiding Likes on negative affect and loneliness. Scenarios were created to simulate receipt of higher or lower Likes than desired, and the visibility of those Likes to others. Findings indicate that receiving greater Likes than desired reduces loneliness but increases negative affect, and this result is exacerbated by the visibility of Likes. However, when Likes are low, it does not make a difference to negative affect whether those Likes are visible or not. Vulnerable narcissism was associated with loneliness. Findings provide support for Instagram''s initiative, and reveal new insights about the interrelationship between loneliness and negative affect in Instagram use.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110509

Año: 2021

Publicado en: Personality and Individual Differences 170 (2021), 110509 [5 pp.]
ISSN: 0191-8869

Factor impacto JCR: 3.95 (2021)

Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL rank: 24 / 65 = 0.369 (2021) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 5.3 - Psychology (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.178 - Psychology (miscellaneous) (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S54-20R-GENERES Group
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/ECO2017-82103-P

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Comerci.Investig.Mercados (Dpto. Direc.Mark.Inves.Mercad.)