Advisers

Jolly A. Miguel, EdD

Discipline

Psychology

Abstract

Social media has become an integral part of college students’ daily lives, influencing self-perception and overall well-being through exposure to curated content that encourages social comparison. Anchored in Leon Festinger’s Social Comparison Theory (1954), this study examined the relationship between life satisfaction and social comparison among social media users enrolled in computer-related programs at Bestlink College of the Philippines. A descriptive-correlational quantitative research design was employed involving 380 respondents aged 19–24 years, selected through disproportionate stratified sampling. Data were collected using a validated self-made Likert-scale questionnaire measuring life satisfaction and social comparison. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank-order correlation were used for data analysis. Findings indicated a high level of life satisfaction (M = 2.19, SD = 0.44) and a relatively high level of social comparison (M = 2.65, SD = 0.45), with positive comparison occurring more frequently than negative comparison. Spearman’s rho analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between life satisfaction and social comparison (r= 0.38, p <.001). The results suggest that constructive social comparison on social media may contribute positively to life satisfaction. Based on these findings, Project SES: Self-Esteem Strengthening Program was proposed to promote healthy social media use, enhance self-worth, and support the psychological well-being of college students.

Keywords

College Students, Life Satisfaction, Social Media Use, Self-Esteem, social comparison, Young Adults