Followers of Billie Eilish and Charli D'Amelio compare themselves more negatively to Instagram content than fans of other accounts, Facebook documents show
- A Facebook document shows that Instagram followers of some celebs "feel more negative comparison."
- Followers of celebrities like Charli D'Amelio and Ariana Grande were part of that group.
- The document, published by The Wall Street Journal, shows research into social comparison on Instagram.
Facebook researchers found that Instagram followers of celebrities and influencers including Billie Eilish, Charli D'Amelio, and members of the Kardashian-Jenner family feel more "negative comparison" with others on the platform than followers of other top accounts like "The Ellen Show" or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, according to internal documents published by The Wall Street Journal.
The document doesn't specifically define "negative comparison" as a term, but per survey questions included in the document, it seems to signify how users view themselves negatively vis-à-vis the content that they encounter on Instagram.
"How bad, if at all, do you feel about yourself because of other people's posts on Instagram?" is one of the survey questions, as well as "how often do you feel discouraged about your own life after seeing others' accomplishments on Instagram?"
The document, a slide deck compiling survey results and behavioral data related to social comparison on Instagram, was part of a set of six published by The Wall Street Journal in the wake of a September investigation into Facebook's knowledge of the negative effects its photo-sharing app Instagram had on people, particularly teen girls. The report prompted a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that took place on Thursday.
In a September 26 company newsroom post, Facebook pushed back on The Wall Street Journal's characterization of the research as showing that Instagram was "toxic" to teens, saying that it found that "teens report having both positive and negative experiences with social media."
According to findings contained within the document, Instagram users feel worse when they see more posts from celebrities in their main feed. The slide deck identifies specific celebrities whose followers "feel more negative comparison," suggesting that the company could partner with on campaigns to mitigate those effects.
Those celebrities included singers like Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Eilish, influencers like D'Amelio and Addison Rae, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and Kim and Kourtney Kardashian.
In contrast, followers of "top accounts" like that of "The Ellen Show," World Star, Johnson, and Will Smith felt "less negative comparison," according to the document.
"Controlling for demographics, people feel more negative comparison after greater exposure to fashion posts, high Like counts on others' posts, celebrities polished content in Feed, and selfies (particularly filtered ones)," the post on an internal company platform sharing the slide deck reads.
D'Amelio has spoken about the toll social media has taken on her life. Clips from "The D'Amelio Show," a Hulu series following Charli, her sister Dixie, and their parents, show the sisters crying over the negative comments that they've received on Instagram and TikTok.