Research on Anxiety Caused by Social Comparison in a Society Dominated by Social Media: Case of The Red Note

Abstract

Social media’s pervasive influence, particularly its role in triggering social comparison and anxiety, represents a critical area of research within communication studies. Platforms like The Red Note, with algorithmically curated content that highlights luxury consumption and flawless self-presentation, intensify these phenomena.. This study synthesizes existing literature to investigate the mechanisms through which social comparison on social media, specifically The Red Note, contributes to user anxiety. It reviews key concepts—social media as a communication environment, The Red Note as a representative platform, social comparison as a psychological process, and anxiety and happiness as core emotional outcomes—and analyzes prevalent research methodologies, from early correlation surveys to recent longitudinal and computational studies. The findings reveal that algorithmic recommendations on platforms create an environment of unattainable comparison targets, singular comparison dimensions, and uncontrollable comparison frequency, significantly amplifying upward social comparisons. This process acts as a core trigger for anxiety, overshadowing potential benefits to user happiness. The study concludes by highlighting the core contradiction between technological ethics and communication efficiency, suggesting a multi-stakeholder governance model involving algorithm transparency and media literacy education as a necessary future direction.