Psychological Correlates of Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Among Social Media Users

Abstract

The recent burgeon on social media usage has contributed to much research examining the role of enmeshing psychological and psychosocial factors. Concerning the existing scenario, this study investigates the networking between narcissism, self-esteem and perfectionistic self-presentation among Facebook and Instagram users. Perfectionistic self-presentation is a major constituent of young people's identity development and may intensify during the transition to college. Against this backdrop, the study was conducted on 578 Indian students who belonged to the age range of 18-24 years. The result showed that perfectionistic self-presentation was predicted by self-esteem, narcissism, and intense usage of Instagram. The result also divulged the current trend and proclaimed that Instagram is a major online platform where perfectionistic self-presentation is portrayed to salvage the deflated self-esteem.