The Impact of Self-Discrepancy on Social Media Behavior

In today's digital age, social media platforms emerge as digital spaces that allow individuals to communicate, share information, and express themselves. These social platforms offer users "opportunities for producing new realities" through the freedom to meticulously organize their online personas online (Costa 79). Besides, this capability to shape one's persona within social media can allow them to interact with their "self-discrepancy," a concept introduced by Higgins (319). Self-discrepancy refers to the gaps between individuals' "actual self" (how they see themselves), "ideal self" (how they wish to be), and "ought self" (how they think they should be). In addition, Higgins states that the larger an individual's self-discrepancy, the more discomfort they will experience (327). Hence, users might want to reduce discrepancies by utilizing social media features that allow them to freely adjust their personas and come closer to their ideal and ought selves; thereby, they can use social media to reduce emotional distress. On the other hand, self-discrepancy can also lead to negative side effects that harm individuals' social media experiences. Understanding these dynamics between self-discrepancy and social media behavior is essential for raising awareness and addressing possible detrimental effects.

This paper tries to examine how self-discrepancy can affect behaviors on social media. It will discuss how users might use social media to come closer to their ought and ideal selves to reduce the differences. Then, it will explain possible negative behavior outcomes resulting from individuals' self-discrepancy. For instance, the identity gap may lead users to manipulate images and encourage harmful social comparisons. While the distinction between ideal and actual selves can promote knowledge sharing and ownership, it may also cause competitiveness and technostress from constant connectivity. Additionally, self-discrepancy can drive the creation of customized avatars, resulting in excessive identification and potential video game addiction. Therefore, the ability to freely curate online personas on social media platforms can affect how they interact with the discrepancies between users' actual, ideal, and ought selves. Accordingly, self-discrepancy can lead to negative consequences for impression management, knowledge contribution, and avatar creation behaviors online.

Initially, the relationship between self-discrepancy and social media should be clarified before explaining possible behavior changes on social media. Higgins's "self-discrepancy theory" categorizes self-state representations into three domains: "the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self" (320). The actual self is the representation of the qualities and characteristics a person believes they actually have. The ideal self reflects the attributes one ideally wants to possess, embodying hopes, aspirations, or wishes. The ought self represents the attributes one believes one should possess relating to duties, responsibilities, or obligations (Higgins 320-321). In addition, Higgins states that the greater the gaps between selves, the higher emotional distress individuals feel, including dejection-related emotions like disappointment, dissatisfaction, and sadness, as well as agitation-related emotions such as fear, threat, and restlessness (327). Thus, individuals are likely to engage in acts that can reduce the gap between their selves to prevent discomfort.

The first outcome of self-discrepancy, in conjunction with social media features, is that it leads users to manage their impressions of others by manipulating images more and promoting detrimental social comparisons. Engagement on social media is often associated with selective self-presentation, where individuals share content that manages their impressions in a positive light. According to Mankotia and Wesley, the primary function of social media platforms has shifted towards a greater emphasis on self-presentation (25). With the capability of freely presenting themselves through social media features, users began displaying online selves that are closer to their ideal selves.

However, as individuals engage in more photo manipulation, the edited images can create a contrast between the individual's online appearance and their actual, unedited appearance. This contrast can lead to a shift in how individuals perceive themselves. Moriarty reports if these changes between ideal online portrayal and actual appearance do not result in daily life, individuals who manipulate their photos online may feel distressed. Moreover, with selective self-presentations on social media platforms, users might build their ought selves based on the posts of other social media participants and set their standards accordingly by comparing themselves to others.

In conclusion, this research paper has examined how self-discrepancy drives individuals to use social media platforms as tools to bridge the gap between their actual, ideal, and ought selves. While social media features allow users to selectively present themselves to reduce the discomfort of gaps between selves, self-discrepancy can lead to behaviors with detrimental consequences. For instance, driven by self-discrepancy, manipulation of images and social comparisons can harm users' self-perception and mental health. Additionally, the drive to align with one's ideal self can create unhealthy competitiveness and technostress within virtual communities, reducing overall satisfaction and well-being. These findings show the relationship between self-discrepancy and social media behavior, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to social media usage. Recognizing the impact of self-discrepancy allows users to take advantage of social media's benefits while lessening its negative impacts. Thus, individuals can engage in social platforms while protecting their overall well-being.

Works Cited

Bessenoff, Gayle R. "Can the Media Affect Us? Social Comparison, Self-Discrepancy, and the Thin Ideal." Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 30, 2006, pp. 239-251. Blackwell Publishing, doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2006.00292.x.

Costa, Elisabetta. "Visual Posting: Showing Off and Shifting Boundaries Between Private and Public." Social Media in Southeast Turkey: Love, Kinship and Politics. UCL Press, London, 2016, pp. 49-80. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/book/81837.

Fang, Lingzhi Brian. "Ownership Leads to Conflicts: The Double-Edged Impact of Psychological Ownership on Communication Satisfaction in Virtual Communities." Information Technology & People, vol. 36, no. 2, 2024, pp. 1-25. Emerald Publishing Limited, doi:10.1108/ITP-08-2023-0768.

Guan, Tao, et al. "Knowledge Contribution Behavior in Online Q&A Communities: An Empirical Investigation." Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 81, 2018, pp. 137-147. Elsevier, doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.023.

Higgins, E. Tory. "Self-Discrepancy: A Theory Relating Self and Affect." Psychological Review, vol. 94, no. 3, 1987, pp. 319-340. APA PsycNet, doi:10.1037/0033-295X.94.3.319.

Hu, Chuan, et al. "The Effect of Self-Discrepancy on Online Behavior: A Literature Review." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, 2022, pp. 1-9. Frontiers, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883736.

Lee, Jumin, and Ayoung Suh. "How Do Virtual Community Members Develop Psychological Ownership and What Are the Effects of Psychological Ownership in Virtual Communities?" Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 45, 2015, pp. 382-391. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.002.

Li, Yongxin, et al. "The Mechanism Underlying the Effect of Actual-Ideal Self-Discrepancy on Internet Gaming Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Model." International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, vol. 19, 2021, pp. 283-301. Springer, doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00273-5.

Loewen, Mitchell G. H., Christopher T. Burris, and Lennart E. Nacke. "Me, Myself, and Not-I: Self-Discrepancy Type Predicts Avatar Creation Style." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2021, Frontiers, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01902.

Maier, Christian, Sven Laumer, Andreas Eckhardt, and Tim Weitzel. "Giving Too Much Social Support: Social Overload on Social Networking Sites." European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 24, no. 5, 2015, pp. 447-464. Taylor & Francis, doi:10.1057/ejis.2014.3.

Mankotia, Rhea, and Mareena Susan Wesley. "The Relationship between Editing Pictures of Oneself, Body Image and Self-Discrepancy." Journal of Psychosocial Research, vol. 15, no. 1, 2020, pp. 25-33. Academic Search Ultimate, doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2020.15.01.2.

MDPI Insights. "What Is Technostress?" MDPI Blog, 12 Apr. 2024, www.blog.mdpi.com/2024/04/12/what-is-technostress/. Accessed 23 July 2024.

Moriarty, Meghan. "Selfies, Filters, and Snapchat Dysmorphia: How Photo Editing Harms Body Image." Psychology Today, 19 Feb. 2020, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202002/selfies-filters-and-snapchat-dysmorphia-how-photo-editing-harms-body-image. Accessed 23 July 2024.

Stewart, Veronica T., and Russell B. Clayton. "Achieving the Ideal-Self While Harming My Relationship: Examining Associations Between Self-Discrepancy, Instagram Photo Manipulation, and Romantic Relationship Outcomes." Psychology of Popular Media, vol. 11, no. 2, 2022, pp. 208-216. APA PsycNet, doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000344.

Turkle, Sherry. "Multiple Subjectivity and Virtual Community at the End of the Freudian Century." Sociological Inquiry, vol. 67, no. 1, 1997, pp. 72-84. University of Texas Press, doi:10.1111/j.1475-682X.1997.tb00430.x.