(PS2-44) The Associations Among Active versus Passive Use of Instagram, Symptoms of Social Anxiety, and Social Comparison

Instagram is a photo/video sharing social media site whose image-driven nature may be associated with psychological distress. Research on the association between Instagram usage and psychological distress is inconsistent, with some studies finding a positive association between Instagram use and social anxiety, while other studies show no association. Moreover, previous research has focused on the duration or frequency of use when examining the association between social media usage and psychological functioning. Research inconsistencies may be addressed by examining different patterns of Instagram use; for instance, passive versus active use may be differentially associated with outcomes. Active use of social media typically includes higher engagement, posting, or sharing, while passive use involves observing content without engaging. Furthermore, there may be a link between social comparison on social media and greater social anxiety symptoms, but, again, research is mixed. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the association between active and passive use of Instagram, social comparison, and social anxiety. The study had two hypotheses, based on previous findings. First, it was hypothesized that more passive use of Instagram would be associated with more social anxiety symptoms, but more active use of Instagram would have no association with social anxiety symptoms. Second, it was hypothesized that social comparison would moderate the relationship between passive Instagram use and social anxiety symptoms. Passive Instagram use would be associated with social anxiety symptoms when users’ endorsement of social comparison was high; contrarily, passive Instagram use would not be associated with social anxiety symptoms when endorsement of social comparison was low. Undergraduate students aged 18 years or older (n = 331, M_age = 19.2; SD = 7.8) completed measures of active/passive Instagram usage, social comparison, and social anxiety. A two-step hierarchical regression analysis was performed with social anxiety symptoms as the outcome variable. The first hypothesis was supported, while the second was not. First, there was a positive association between passive use of Instagram and social anxiety symptoms; participants who reported greater passive use of Instagram endorsed more symptoms of social anxiety. However, the moderation hypothesis was not supported. The passive Instagram usage-social anxiety relation was significant, regardless of level of social comparison. Although social comparison did not moderate the passive use-social anxiety association, social comparison was positively associated with social anxiety. Lastly, active use of Instagram was not associated with social anxiety symptoms. The image-driven nature of Instagram may be particularly problematic for passive users in that these users can view content without having to interact with other users. This does not provide passive users with connectedness and social support, which may be a benefit to more active users. These findings highlight the need for further research on passive use of Instagram and factors that may moderate these negative effects.