Positive Correlation Between Facebook Usage and Self-Esteem - Lab Report Example

Testing Positive Correlation Between Facebook Usage and Self-esteem Testing Positive Correlation Between Facebook Usage and Self-esteem Introduction The daily-lives experiences determine how people feel about themselves. The grade one gets on an exam, the way one is treated by friends, the ups and downs in the daily lives can have an impact on how one feels about himself or herself. However, an individual’s self-esteem is significant to one’s mental and psychological growth. Low self-esteem will destroy an individual than the ups and downs in life linked to the situational changes (Leary, 2005). Self-esteem is defined as an individual’s attitude towards his or her opinion, or evaluation of oneself, which may be positive, neutral or negative (Leary, 2005). Many theories suggest that self-esteem is a basic human need or motivation. For instance, Abraham Maslow included self-esteem in his hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow, self-esteem is a vital aspect of an individual such that without it, an individual will be driven to seek it and hinders his or her growth and attainment of self-actualization. On his part, Leary (2005) gives an account of what the modern theory of self-esteem talks about. According to Leary’s Sociometer, self-esteem is a measure of effectiveness in social relations and interactions that determine reactions to rejection, self-serving biases, and behaviors. According to Leary, if an individual shows some aspect of rational value, then they are more likely to have higher self-esteem. Therefore, more emphasize is placed upon rational value when measuring self-esteem (Leary, 2005). That is, the degree to which an individual regards his or her relationship with another person, and how it affects his or her routine operations in life. Regardless of whether we realize it or not, the use of Facebook has a significant influence on an individual’s psychological well-being. Based the literature review below, it is clear that there are conflicting responses in regard to the relationship between Facebook and self-esteem. This study, therefore, undertakes an experimental approach in determining the correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. Background The Internet is one of the many factors that influence day-to-day activities of the human being. With the increasing technology, there is an upward increase in the use of the Internet. One of the basic aspects of the Internet that has realized positive growth is the use of the social sites. Human beings are social in nature hence social sites present a greater opportunity for them to interact. The relationship between Facebook and self-esteem is always up to debates with some studies suggesting a positive relationship while others are suggesting a negative relationship. On their quest to determine the effect of exposure to Facebook on self-esteem relative to traditional self-awareness, Gonzales and Hancock suggested that selective self-presentation coupled by digitally mediated environments can have a positive influence on self-esteem. According to Gonzales and Hannock (2011), exposure to information highlighted that an individual’s Facebook profile increases self-esteem, especially when the individual makes some changes in his or her personal information. On the other side, Gonzales and Hannock argue that non-edited views about oneself can decrease an individual’s self-esteem. The study by Gonzales and Hannock contradicts the OSA theory. Objective Self-Awareness (OSA) theory is one of the theoretical approaches that tries to explain the effects of social-networking sites on self-esteem (Duval & Wicklund, 1972). One of the assumptions made by the theory is that the humans experience the self as both a subject and an object. According to the OSA theory, human being is subject to self-evaluations based on broader social standards and norms. That is, the OSA theory argues that stimuli that promote self-awareness activate discrepancies between oneself and social standards, as a result lowering self-esteem. Another important study of the relationship between Facebook and self-esteem is the Hyperpersonal model. According to the Hyperpersonal model, the process of selective self-presentation makes Facebook a unique awareness-enhancing stimulus. That is, when an individual focus on themselves, they tend to have a positive opinion about themselves. A study by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden to determine the relationship between self-esteem and Facebook revealed a negative relationship between the two variables. However, the study found out that there was much difference between genders. According to the study, women that used Facebook tend to be less happy and non-appreciative of the lives. In fact, the study reveals that people with low self-esteem may feel comfortable sharing personal updates on the Facebook but they may not be helping themselves. Materials The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale is a self-esteem measure that was developed by sociologist Dr. Morris Rosenberg (Rosenberg, 1965). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is a ten-item Likert-type scale with items answered on a four-point-scale. The items range from strongly agree to strongly disagree. In the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, five of the ten items are positively worded statement while the remaining 5 items are negatively worded statements (Rosenberg, 1965). To score the items, a value is assigned to each item as shown below: The items 1, 2, 4, 6, 7: the table is shown below: Item Attached score Strongly agree 3 Agree 2 Disagree 1 Strongly disagree 0 The remaining items which are 3, 5, 8, 9, 10; the table is shown below Item Attached score Strongly agree 0 Agree 1 Disagree 2 Strongly disagree 3 It is worth noting that this is reversed in valence. The total score comprises the sum of the item score as highlighted above. It is worth noting that the reverse scoring, people that are characterized by agreeing to everything will score low on self-esteem. According to Swenson (2003), the internal consistency of The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale ranges from 0.59 to 0.96 obtained from 16-year olds and university students respectively. The scale has high reliability, and this is shown by a test–retest correlation that ranges from 0.82 to 0.88. Validity. The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale is the most widely used measure of self-esteem. However, the scale is not a diagnostic aid for any psychological problem or issue. That is, if an individual suspects a low self-esteem, then they should consult a doctor. The Facebook Measure (FBM) The Facebook Measure is a measure that was aimed at measuring two aspects with respect to Facebook. It was developed Orr, Sisic, Arseneault, Simmering, and Orr in 2009. The FBM was created mainly to measure: (1) Positive Attitudes Towards Facebook (PATFB); and (2) Facebook Usage (FBU). According to Ross et al. (2009), there are items that are used to measure PATFB whereby each and every item on the sub-scale utilizes a Likert-type of scale. The scale ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree. That is, the participants respond by either agreeing or disagreeing with the seven items with the eighth item being neutral. Just like RSES, the total PATFB score constitute the sum of the eight-item scores. In this regard, the lowest possible score is 8 while the highest possible score is 40. The FBU is characterized by 5 items that make use of a 9-point Likert-type scale measuring the number of times an individual uses Facebook. The items are: (1) less than once per year; (2) a few times a year; (3) less than once monthly; (4) once monthly; (5) twice monthly; (6) once weekly; (7) 2 or more times weekly; (8) once daily; and (9) more than once daily. According to Ross et al. (2009), the sum of the item scores will result to total FBU. Therefore, the highest possible score is 45 while the lowest possible score is 5. The reliability and validity. The results by Ross et al. (2009), show that the coefficient alpha score for PATFB and FBU subscales is 0.85 and 0.74 respectively. However, there is little evidence provided for the validity of PATFB and the FBM subscales. Participants The participants of the study will include a total of 60 students from the Psych 1100E class. The participation is open to both male and female students. The study will be characterized by three conditions. That is; a control condition whereby participants utilize the same root without any treatment, exposure to a mirror, and individual’s exposure to Facebook. A sample of 50 participants will be randomly selected for the final analysis. Objective of the Study The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is the most used measure of self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1965). On the other hand, the Facebook Measure (FBM) comprises of the measure of (1) Facebook Usage (FU) and (2) positive attitudes towards Facebook (PATF). The FBM was created by Ross, Sisic, Simmering, and Orr (Ross et al., 2009). In this regard, the study tries to determine the existence of positive correlation between the usage of Facebook and self-esteem. That is; the main objective of the study is to determine a positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. In so doing, the study will correlate the score of RSES with the FU subscale of FBM. Hypothesis H0: there is a positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem H1: There is no positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. Procedure Basically, the study wanted to explore people’s attitude about themselves after exploring different Internet sites. While undertaking the study, individuals in the offline conditions acted as the control group. The stimulus group comprised those online. The stimulus group was made to login their Facebook after which they were instructed to click on the profile tab on their Facebook wall. This was undertaken after the experimenter had left the room. The stimulus was not given any specific instructions to make changes on their profile. However, they were to look at the wall posts, inbox, photos etc. After looking at their profiles for 3 minutes, the experimenter returned to undertake the survey. It is worth noting that the profile tab was kept open as the participants were taking the survey. The control group was taken to the same computer room used by the stimulus group. For the control group, a mirror was placed against the computer screen. The control group was also given a survey questions. They answered the questions while exposed to their own reflection in the mirror. Again, the offline control group repeated the survey without the mirror opened and without the computer screen turned on. The participants were instructed to press the buzz burton after they are through with the experiment. In each and every condition, the experimenter probed the participants for suspicion or failure to abide by the rules of the experiment. Results To determine the existence of a positive correlation between the usage of Facebook and self-esteem, a correlation analysis between the scores of The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and Facebook Usage (FU). Correlation FBU x RSES y (X-‾X‾) (X-‾X‾)2 (y-‾y‾) (y-‾y‾)2 Zx Zy ZxZy 31 37 5.22 27-2484 7.24 52.4176 30 27 4.22 17.8084 -2.76 7.6176 21 29 -4.78 22.8484 0.76 0.5776 27 30 1.22 1.4884 0.24 0.0576 17 32 -8.78 77.0884 2.24 5.0176 28 39 2.22 4.9284 9.24 85.3776 28 17 2.22 4.9284 -12.76 162.8176 29 24 3.22 10.3684 -5.76 33.1776 21 28 -4.78 22.8484 -1.76 3.0976 28 34 2.22 4.9284 4.24 17.9776 36 40 10.22 104.4484 10.24 104.8576 33 31 7.22 52.1284 1.24 1.5376 25 39 -0.78 0.6084 9.24 85.3776 13 38 -12.78 163.3284 8.24 67.8976 22 39 -3.78 14.2884 9.24 85.3776 33 31 7.22 52.1284 1.24 1.5376 24 35 -1.78 3.1684 5.24 27.4576 25 21 -0.78 0.6084 -8.76 76.7376 18 36 -7.78 60.5284 6.24 38.9376 23 27 -2.78 7.7284 -2.76 7.6176 17 35 -8.78 77.0884 5.24 27.4576 17 29 -8.78 77.0884 0.76 0.5776 22 34 -3.78 14.2884 4.24 17.9776 35 30 9.22 85.0084 0.24 0.0576 17 34 -8.78 77.0884 4.24 17.9776 34 26 8.22 67.5684 -3.76 14.1376 34 26 8.22 67.5684 -3.76 14.1376 34 37 8.22 67.5684 7.24 52.4176 15 38 -10.78 116.2084 8.24 67.8976 8 27 -17.78 316.1284 -2.76 7.6176 28 27 2.22 4.9284 -2.76 7.6176 33 15 7.22 52.1284 -14.76 29.52 36 29 10.22 104.4484 0.76 0.5776 35 30 9.22 85.0084 0.24 0.0576 33 31 7.22 52.1284 1.24 1.5376 29 28 3.22 10.3684 -1.76 3.0976 27 31 1.22 1.4884 1.24 1.5376 36 20 10.22 104.4484 -9.76 95.2576 28 19 2.22 4.9284 -10.76 115.7776 20 25 -5.78 33.4084 -4.76 22.6576 28 20 2.22 4.9284 -9.76 95.2576 20 35 -5.78 33.4084 5.24 27.4576 29 22 3.22 10.3684 -7.76 60.2176 15 23 -10.78 116.2084 -6.76 45.6976 27 37 1.22 1.4884 7.24 52.4176 34 31 8.22 67.5684 1.24 1.5376 33 35 7.22 52.1284 5.24 27.4576 21 29 -4.78 22.8484 0.76 0.5776 19 29 -6.78 45.9684 0.76 0.5776 13 22 -12.78 163.3284 -7.76 60.2176 ∑1289 1488 0 2563.3316 7.6 1734.7824 ‾X‾=1289/50=25.78 ‾Y‾=1488/50=29.76 ∑(X-‾X‾)2=2563.3316 ∑(y-‾y‾)2=1734.7824 Sx2= (∑(X-‾X‾)2)/N Sy2= (∑(y-‾y‾)2)/N Variance:Sx2=2563.3316/50=51.26666 Sy2=1734.7824/50=34.695648 Standard deviation: Sx=√ Sx2=√51.26666 Sy=√ Sy2=√34.695648 Sx=7.1601 Sy=5.8903 R=∑ZxZy)/50 R=(7.1601X58903)/50=45.709317/50=0.91419 Correlation coefficient (r)= 0.91419 Testing for correlation coefficient Degrees of freedom=50-2=48 Looking at the p-value with 48 DF with 0.05 level of significant: we get, 0.288. That is, α = 0.05 and p-value=0.288. Hypothesis testing H0: there is a positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem H1: There is no positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. The confidence level of the study is 95% hence the significance=0.05. From the calculation above, the P-value is 0.288. The significance level (0.05)>p-value (0.288) therefore we accept the null hypothesis that There is a positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. Discussion There are conflicting views regarding the effects of Facebook Usage on self-esteem. Some studies reveal a positive correlation while others reveal a negative correlation. In trying to understand the relationship between Facebook Usage and self-esteem, this study uses Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to measure self-esteem and the Facebook measure to record the scores of Facebook usage. The correlation results above show that there is a strong positive correlation between Facebook Usage and self-esteem. That is, if an individual increases the Facebook usage, then it is more likely that his or her self-esteem will increase. The study was conducted within was conducted at 95% confidence level. The significance level (0.05)>p-value (0.288) therefore we accept the null hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between Facebook usage and self-esteem. A coefficient of generally 0.91419 show a high positive correlation hence self-esteem exhibit a high positive correlation with Facebook Usage. It is clear from the two tests that FBU is positively correlated to self-esteem. The results of this study contradicts the OSA theory while at the same time confirming the Gonzales and Hannock’s empirical study. The focus of the study was Facebook, but the study can be used to significantly represent other social networks. From the correlation coefficient above, the more an individual increases the use of Facebook, the high his or her self-esteem increases. From the results, one can argue that; because most people fall short of social standards when self-awareness is increased, positive effects and self-esteem basically increases when human beings are exposed to objective self-awareness. Conclusion The Internet is one of the many factors that influences day-to-day activities of human being. With the increasing technology, there is an upward increase in the use of the Internet. One of the basic aspects of the Internet that has realized positive growth is the use of the social sites. In addition, the social media plays a vital role in creating new motivation for self-presentation. However, the motivation for self-presentation depends on an individual’s personality and the surrounding environment. The relationship between self-esteem and Facebook Usage is a field of study that is still new hence characterized by numerous upcoming studies. In this regard, each and every study presents either similar or conflicting results. The results, therefore, depend on the variable used for the study and the environment. Theoretical development is a good field that can benefit from expanding on previous theories. This can be done by incorporating the concepts about how media may alter social processes. References Duval, S., & Wicklund, R. A. (1972). A theory of objective self awareness. New York: Academic Press. Gonzales, A.L., & Hancock, J.T. (2011). Mirror, mirror, on my Facebook wall: Effects of exposure to Facebook on self-esteem. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 0, 1-5. Leary, M. R. (2005). Sociometer theory and the pursuit of relational value: Getting to the root of Self-esteem. European Review of Social Psychology, 16, 75-111 Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Ross, C., Orr, E. S., Sisic, M., Arseneault, J. M., Simmering, & Orr, R. R. (2009). Personality and motivations associated with Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 578-586. Swenson. P.L. (2003). A psychometric study of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: An investigation of gender DIF. Unpublished Master’s Thesis: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. University Press. Williams, R. (2014). How Facebook can amplify low Self-Esteem/Narcissism/Anxiety. Psychology Today, 5-8. Retreaved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201405/how-facebook-can-amplify-low-self-esteemnarcissismanxiety Read More