Social Media: Exploring the Relationship between Social Media Experience and Self-esteem on Chinese Youth

Abstract

While social media allows users for distant socialites and intimacies, it is also a significant tool for social comparison, different individuals experience social media differently and cause varying impacts on self-esteem. This research aim to investigate the influence of pervasive exposure to social media-based information among young Chinese netizens. Through a conduction of an online survey (N=153) and follow-up interviews, the study reached the basic conclusion that the majority agree on their self-esteem were affected by bad experiences on social media most of the time. This discovery has significant theoreti-cal and practical implications for further study on Chinese inherent environment.