Exploring the Impact of Upward Social Comparison in Social Media on Generation Z: An Interview Study Surrounding Job Seeking

In recent years, the disparity between economic development and higher education development in China has led to an imbalance between supply and demand in the job market, making it difficult for Chinese graduates to find employment and bringing them great pressure. Additionally, the pervasive use of social media has accelerated the propagation of emotions, further magnifying negative sentiments and anxiety.
However, Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012; hereafter referred to as Gen Z), distinct from previous generations, is more adept and reliant on social media as Internet natives, often seeking information, engaging in social interactions, and expressing themselves through online platforms. As a result, their response to social media messages may differ significantly.
This study takes Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform with over 200 million monthly active users, 72% of whom are from Gen Z, as a case study. It explores the impact of successful posts by college job-seeking bloggers on their Gen Z peers who are also in the process of job searching. The research focuses on the perspective of upward comparison theory and examines the changes in attitudes, emotions, and psychology of peer job-seeking students after reading these posts. Through in-depth interviews with 30 college job seekers, the following preliminary findings were obtained:
1) Contrary to previous studies, Most Gen Z students do not experience media burnout, low self-esteem, or anxiety after engaging in upward comparisons with peer bloggers. 2) Instead, they derive motivation from these postings, believe that they can also find satisfactory jobs like bloggers, and approach job search challenges with increased confidence. The personal experiences and workplace insights shared by job-seeking bloggers inspire them to emulate, actively engage in social activities, seek referrals, and better prepare and plan careers. It seems that Gen Z has a stronger sense of self-identity and seems passionate about self-definition rather than comparing others in society.

This research applies social comparison theory to the study of the impact of college job-seeking bloggers on their Gen Z peers, which can gain a deeper understanding of the positive and negative effects of upward comparison. Theoretically, it contributes to the application of the theory in the fields of career development and social media. Practically, it provides suggestions for future job-seeking students. When referring to the experiences and suggestions of job bloggers, it is better to maintain rationality and objectivity, and focus on their own interests, goals, and values while learning from the experiences of others.