Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.1177/10949968241265856

Publication Title

Journal of Interactive Marketing

Volume

Article in Press

Pages

1-51

Abstract

Because social networking sites (SNS) facilitate social comparison, consumer envy becomes inevitable among social media users. Drawing on social comparison and coping theories, this study examines how different types of envy lead to consumers? distinct behaviors on SNS, some of which are self-directed and focus on self-enhancement, and others are either positive or negative interactions with the envied person. Employing both the contexts of luxury product and service sharing experiences on Instagram, our four studies consistently found that while consumers who experience benign envy are more likely to interact with the envied positively, such as liking the envied? posts, those who experience malicious envy are more likely to engage in negative interactions, such as unfollowing the envied person. Benign enviers are more likely to engage in self-enhancement SNS actions, such as posting images/videos more frequently, than malicious enviers. When coping with the negative feeling of envy, positive interactions help benign enviers improve their sense of belonging. In contrast, malicious enviers tend to engage in maladaptive coping behaviors, such as engaging in negative interactions with the envied, which may diminish their sense of belonging and lead to negative self-perceptions.

Rights

© American Marketing Association 2024. All rights reserved.

Miao, M., Tang, C., Guo, L., & Karande, K. Coping with social media envy in luxury consumption: The role of social networking site actions. Journal of Interactive Marketing. pp. 1-51. Copyright © 2024 American Marketing Association. DOI: 10.1177/10949968241265856

ORCID

0000-0003-2183-0575 (Karande)

Original Publication Citation

Miao, M., Tang, C., Guo, L., & Karande, K. (2024). Coping with social media envy in luxury consumption: The role of social networking site actions. Journal of Interactive Marketing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10949968241265856

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