Impact of Social Feedback on Self-Esteem and Self-Presentation in a Social Media Setting

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Sciences and Neurosciences, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Abigail Heller

Metadata/Fulltext

Metadata ONLY

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

The current study investigates how individuals respond to positive, negative, or neutral feedback (control group) on content they create in an online setting, and how such feedback influences self-esteem and the likelihood of changing original content as a form of impression management. In this study, college students (N = 50) created a caption for online content, received either positive, negative, or neutral feedback, and then completed a questionnaire measuring self-esteem and their likelihood of revising their original post. Prior research indicates that social media feedback plays a significant role in shaping individuals’ self-esteem and self-presentation, as online interactions often serve as sources of social evaluation and validation (Leary & Baumeister, 2000; Valkenburg et al., 2006). Additionally, positive feedback, such as approval and increased social recognition, has been linked to temporary boosts in self-esteem, whereas negative feedback or social rejection has been associated with decreased self-worth and psychological distress (Burrow & Rainone, 2017). While past research has examined self-esteem and self-presentation separately, less is known about how different types of explicit social media feedback influence both self-esteem and subsequent impression management behaviors within the same context, particularly when individuals are faced with social approval versus rejection. Data collection is ongoing, and results will be presented at the symposium.

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