Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: A Replication Study

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.