SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND YOUTH WELL-BEING: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL APPEARANCE IN CONTRIBUTING TO A SENSE OF INFERIORITY

Abstract

Social media applications like TikTok and Instagram enable social comparisons and users' emotional experiences in everyday life, with negative consequences for their mental well-being. However, there is a discrepancy in that users' social appearance has altered as a result of their use of these social media applications. The current study intends to bridge this research gap by looking into how social appearances on TikTok and Instagram develop emotions of inferiority. For validity, a Social Appearance Anxiety Scale was used, with N=352 respondents in the sample. The statistics show that there is a substantial link between social appearance and inferiority complex. Social media users create and replicate videos for a short period of time, incorporating content that builds the dreamy image that has a major impact on their mental health and that of their followers. The findings confirm a strong relationship (R²=0.520) between social appearance and inferiority complex, proving the importance of social media appearance in terms of inferiority feelings. Keywords: Self-representation, Social appearance, Inferiority complex, Instagram use, TikTok use.