A Social Comparison Perspective to Investigating the Influence of Social Media on Employee Creativity

Abstract

Previous research evident that social media provides a platform to individuals social comparison, namely social comparison on social media (USC-SM). Drawing from social comparison theory, this study explores the creative consequences of such USC-SM, focusing on the underlying mechanism of emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the study examines how social media dependency influences these emotional experiences resulting from USC-SM. Results of data collected from 435 employees and their supervisors through a multi-source, two-wave survey reveal that employees who engage in USC-SM platforms tend to experience emotional exhaustion, thereby detrimentally impacting their creativity. Furthermore, this research found that the extent of an employee’s dependence on social media for work tasks serves as moderator which strengthens the underlying relationship. This study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on social media use and its effect on employee creativity. Theoretical contributions and practical guidelines are discussed in the subsequent sections.