RESEARCH_FILE
Hanna Krasnova
University of Potsdam
Known for:Information-systems research documenting envy as a driver of how social network sites affect users' life satisfaction.
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“The feed knows exactly where to hit me”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“The app showed me what I was already primed to envy. That's not targeting. That's just how feeds work at scale.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Write down the last three posts that made you feel behind. For each one, write one sentence about what you actually know about that person's life outside the photo. Notice what's missing.
Key findings
- 2013
Roughly one in five recent envy-provoking incidents reported by participants happened on Facebook; passive following was a key trigger, and the authors describe a potential self-reinforcing 'envy spiral' of one-upmanship. Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users' Life Satisfaction? ↗
- 2015
Among college-age users, following others' consumption- and experience-rich posts fed envy, which in turn undermined cognitive and affective well-being — 'following friends can hurt you'. Research Note—Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: An Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Envy on Social Networking Sites among College-Age Users ↗