THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE IN SHAPING MATERIALISTIC VALUES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MULTAN, PAKISTAN: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SOCIAL COMPARISON

Abstract

The present study examined the role of excessive social media use in fostering social comparison and materialistic values among educated youth. Young people are the largest users of social media platforms for information sharing, communication, and entertainment. Accelerating digitalization aggravates social comparison among youngsters by idealizing social media influencers and their associated social circles. Theoretical underpinnings from cultivation theory, social comparison theory, and materialism theory indicate that social media aggravates materialistic values through social comparison. An explanatory research design was used to collect data from N=382 university students. Data were analyzed using two statistical software programs, i.e., SPSS and SmartPLS 4. Findings revealed that university students who extensively use social media developed materialistic values (H1: β = 0.591, p < .001). Additionally, students who use social media platforms were inclined toward social comparisons (H2: β = 0.699, p < .001). These social comparisons contributed to the development of materialistic values among university students (H3: β = 0.366, p < .001). Partial mediation results indicated that students who used social media extensively developed materialistic values through social comparisons with influential people (β = 0.256, p < .001). University training sessions, seminars, and conferences can raise students' awareness of how to use social media for educational purposes and personal growth, rather than developing unrealistic materialism.