Network Analysis of Ecological Momentary Assessment Exploring the Role of Online and Offline Social Comparisons in the Mood and Wellbeing of Undergraduate Students

Whilst research suggests online social comparisons may be detrimental to wellbeing, little is known about the underlying temporal dynamics. Here we used Ecological Momentary Assessment to sample 100 undergraduate students’ experiences five times per day for 21 consecutive days, in conjunction with network analysis, to map dynamic interactions between (upward) online and offline social comparisons and multiple indicators of wellbeing. Contemporaneous, temporal, and between-subjects networks were estimated. Whilst online comparisons predicted lower self-esteem in the contemporaneous network, online comparisons predicted subsequent increases in positive, and decreases in negative, affect. In contrast, associations between offline social comparisons and poorer wellbeing were seen in all networks, and for multiple indices of wellbeing. Consistent with a two-step model of social comparisons, the findings suggest the effects of online comparisons may operate differently at different times-scales, and further, that offline comparisons may be more strongly related to poor wellbeing, with a potential causal association.