Digital Identity and Emotional Coping among Young Adults on Instagram and TikTok

Abstract

Social media platforms provide fertile ground for the construction of digital identities and are used to manage affective experiences among young adults. Yet, in the Pakistani context, research has largely overlooked psychological effects related to how young adults navigate such experiences. Social media use intensity, digitally expressed identity, emotional coping strategies, social comparison, and self-esteem were examined in this survey-based quantitative study involving n = 265 undergraduate university students from Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected via a Google-based survey using five-point Likert-scale items and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), with reverse scoring applied to five inversely worded items. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from .725 to .899, indicating acceptable to good reliability. Pearson correlation and regression analyses showed that social comparison was the strongest direct correlate of self-esteem (r = -0.424) and a significant predictor of the outcome (R² = 0.180, p < .001). A Baron and Kenny mediation analysis, supported by a Sobel test, revealed an inconsistent mediation (suppression) effect: digital identity expression exerted a significant positive direct effect on self-esteem, while also significantly increasing social comparison, which in turn suppressed self-esteem (indirect effect = -0.197, Sobel z = -6.41, p < .001). Heavy social media users (more than 5 hours per day) reported comparatively higher social comparison and lower self-esteem scores. These findings suggest that young Pakistani social media users may experience less favorable psychological outcomes associated with intensive platform use, and recommend that educational institutions prioritize digital literacy and emotional wellbeing programs for university students.