Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: A Replication Study

Benjamin M. Ampel, Steven Ullman
Last updated on Oct 24, 2026
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Path model of the replication results: social information consumption on a social networking site predicts envy (0.184), which predicts lower cognitive (-0.323) and affective (-0.511) well-being and more self-enhancement (0.169). Consumption also predicts self-enhancement directly (0.208); its direct paths to well-being are not significant. Replication Results
In Plain Terms

The authors re-ran a well-known 2015 study on how envy on social media affects well-being, this time using Instagram and U.S. college students instead of the original’s Facebook and German sample. Most of the original findings held up, supporting the idea that consuming others’ posts can fuel envy. One link, however, was weaker than before, suggesting the effect may shift across platforms, populations, or time, and inviting further study.

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APA Ampel, B. M., & Ullman, S. (2023). Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: A Replication Study. Transactions on Replication Research, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.17705/1atrr.00078
BibTeX
@article{ampel2023why,
  title={Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: A Replication Study},
  author={Benjamin M. Ampel and Steven Ullman},
  journal={Transactions on Replication Research},
  year={2023},
  doi={10.17705/1atrr.00078}
}
Replication Behavioral
Benjamin M. Ampel

Benjamin M. Ampel

Assistant Professor in Computer Information Systems and Director, Center for CyberAI Research (CCAIR)

My research focuses on AI-enabled Cybersecurity, including Cyber Threat Intelligence, Large Language Models, and Phishing Detection.