Suffering or Joy? Envy on Social Networking Sites During the Pandemic

Social Networking Site (SNS) offers people a gateway to connect with their family, friends, and acquaintances during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Through these online social connections, SNS users are exposed to massive social information that may lead to social comparison, resulting in envious feelings and reduced life satisfaction. During COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, unpleasant envious feelings may be exaggerated and create life-long negative impacts on SNS users. Thus, the main objective of this study is to understand the role of envy in SNS use during pandemic lockdowns. We collected data of 194 Facebook users and identified pandemic-specific sources of envy. We revealed a positive relationship between SNS envy and life satisfaction in the context of pandemic lockdowns. The surprising findings of this study advance the emerging SNS envy research and have important implications for practitioners while contributing to the ongoing discussion of the COVID-19 impact on humanity.