The Moderating Role of Social Media Platforms on Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction: A Case Study of YouTube and Instagram

Abstract

Social media use has become increasingly prolific in modern society, and, as a by-product, so too have the negative implications of excessive social media use. Although there exists a robust body of research on social media use and its subsequent association with social media addiction, life satisfaction and selfesteem, few studies have examined how the social media medium (i.e., the social media platform itself) may influence users distinctively. This study explores how medium differences on the social media platforms, Instagram and YouTube, may result in different media effects for social media users. It is expected that engaging with YouTube may increase users’ self-esteem and life satisfaction or that preexposure and post-exposure measures will remain constant. However, it is predicted that engaging with Instagram will decrease self-esteem and measures of life-satisfaction post-exposure. Findings of this study can be widely applied in modern business practice.