Celebrity Instagram content linked to negative feelings, Facebook researchers say

The Instagram application is seen on a phone screen

(Reuters) – Instagram followers of major social media stars such as Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Charlie D’Amelio are more negative about their image, according to a Facebook internal survey revealed this week by The Wall Street Journal.

He is one of those celebrities who has a lot of emotions. Questions about the impact of online celebrity culture.The Journal released a leaked research slide deck on Wednesday. It was the basis for an article published earlier this month that Facebook said it knew the app would harm the mental health of some teenage girls and young users.

A survey titled “Social Comparison on Instagram” surveyed 100,000 people in nine countries, including the United States, Australia and Brazil, in March and April 2020.

Facebook spokesman Kevin McAllister said survey respondents were not asked to name a particular account, but the researchers said celebrity accounts had “high or low levels of negative socializing on Instagram.” This is one of the most frequently viewed accounts for people who told us they experienced comparisons. “Based on company internal data.

He said the findings make sense, as each celebrity listed has more than 30 million followers.

Researchers at Facebook have not investigated whether user exposure to these celebrity accounts leads to negative feelings toward them.

According to Facebook researchers, singer Ariana Grande and model Kendall Jenner were among the celebrities whose followers perceived social comparisons to be more negative.

On the slide deck, Facebook researchers said the company may partner with the stars in a campaign to reduce negative comparisons.

Meanwhile, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, a follower of American actor Will Smith and Brazilian football player Neymar, felt that the Instagram account belonging to “The Ellen DeGeneres” “has some negative comparisons”. Board.

The findings are noteworthy given that Instagram pioneered the rise of social media influencers and made efforts to recruit celebrities for apps in its early days.

According to an anecdote told in the book “Unfiltered: Inside the Story of Instagram,” actor Ashton Kutcher was one of the actors who helped Instagram build trust with other celebrities and introduce the company to Grande. It was a star.

According to the LinkedIn background of some employees, the company’s partnership team is also working with celebrities, musicians and other public figures to increase their presence on Instagram.

Facebook researchers have found that viewing more celebrity content on an Instagram feed leads to more negative comparisons.

Research shows that almost half of the content you see on Instagram comes from celebrities.