Most research on creativity focuses on the benefits,
with little attention paid to exploring the negative aspects, such as
malevolent creativity. Undoubtedly, social networking sites (SNS) are central
to social interaction and information sharing in the digital age. However, they
simultaneously invite upward social comparison, eliciting envy among users,
which leads to diversified behaviors. We argue that it
is an essential issue for social comparison and individuals’ malevolent
creativity on SNS. Integrating social comparison theory with response styles
theory, we hypothesized that SNS social comparison is positively related to
online malevolent creativity via SNS envy, and its effects of SNS social
comparison on SNS envy depend on individuals’ rumination. The results support
these hypotheses and provide a more nuanced understanding of how upward social
comparison impacts individuals’ emotional state and creativity. The theoretical
contributions and practical implications of this study are discussed.
References
[1]
Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity and Innovation in Organizations. Harvard Business School.
[2]
Amabile, T. M. (1997). Motivating Creativity in Organizations: On Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do. California Management Review, 40, 39-59. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165921
[3]
Bergagna, E., & Tartaglia, S. (2018). Self-Esteem, Social Comparison, and Facebook Use. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 14, 831-845. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v14i4.1592
[4]
Brislin, R. W. (1980). Translation and Content Analysis of Oral and Written Materials. In H. C. Triandis, & W. Lonner (Eds.), Handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology (pp. 389- 444). Allyn and Bacon.
[5]
Cheng, R., Kelong, L. U., & Hao, N. (2021). The Effect of Anger on Malevolent Creativity and Strategies for Its Emotion Regulation. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 53, 847-860. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2021.00847
[6]
Chou, H. T. G., & Edge, N. (2012). They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am: The Impact of Using Facebook on Perceptions of Others’ Lives. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 117-121. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0324
[7]
Conway, M., Csank, P. A., Holm, S. L., & Blake, C. K. (2000). On Assessing Individual Differences in Rumination on Sadness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 75, 404-425. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327752JPA7503_04
[8]
Cropley, D. H., Kaufman, J. C., & Cropley, A. J. (2008). Malevolent Creativity: A Functional Model of Creativity in Terrorism and Crime. Creativity Research Journal, 20, 105-115. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400410802059424
[9]
Cropley, D. H., Kaufman, J. C., White, A. E., & Chiera, B. A. (2014). Layperson Perceptions of Malevolent Creativity: The Good, the Bad, and the Ambiguous. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 8, 400-412. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037792
[10]
Dunn, J., Ruedy, N. E., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2012). It Hurts Both Ways: How Social Comparisons Harm Affective and Cognitive Trust. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 117, 2-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.08.001
[11]
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The Benefits of Facebook “Friends”: Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12, 1143-1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x
[12]
Feinstein, B. A., Hershenberg, R., Bhatia, V., Latack, J. A., Meuwly, N., & Davila, J. (2013). Negative Social Comparison on Facebook and Depressive Symptoms: Rumination as a Mechanism. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2, 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033111
[13]
Festinger, L. (1954). A Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7, 117- 140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
[14]
Gill, P., Horgan, J., Hunter, S. T., & Cushenbery, L. D. (2013). Malevolent Creativity in Terrorist Organizations. Journal of Creative Behavior, 47, 125-151. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.28
[15]
Gutworth, M. B., Cushenbery, L., & Hunter, S. T. (2016). Creativity for Deliberate Harm: Malevolent Creativity and Social Information Processing Theory. Journal of Creative Behavior, 52, 305-322. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.155
[16]
Hao, N., Qiao, X., Cheng, R., Lu, K., Tang, M. Y., & Runco, M. A. (2020). Approach Motivational Orientation Enhances Malevolent Creativity. Acta Psychologica, 203, Article 102985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102985
[17]
Hao, N., Tang, M. Y., Yang, J., Wang, Q. F., & Runco, M. A. (2016). A New Tool to Measure Malevolent Creativity: The Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 682. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00682
[18]
Hayes, A. (2013). An Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. Guilford Press.
[19]
He, X., & Cui, L. Y. (2016). Fortune Emotions: The Analysis for the Social Comparison & Cognitive Appraisal Process of Envy. Advances in Psychological Science, 24, 1485- 1495. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2016.01485
[20]
Howkins, J. (2013). The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas (2nd ed.). Penguin Books.
[21]
Jonason, P. K., Abboud, R., Tome, J., Dummett, M., & Hazer, A. (2017). The Dark Triad Traits and Individual Differences in Self-Reported and Other-Rated Creativity. Personality and Individual Differences, 117, 150-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.06.005
[22]
Khessina, O. M., Goncalo, J. A., & Krause, V. (2018). It’s Time to Sober Up: The Direct Costs, Side Effects and Long-Term Consequences of Creativity and Innovation. Research in Organizational Behavior, 38, 107-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.003
[23]
Krasnova, H., Wenninger, H., Widjaja, T., & Buxmann, P. (2013). Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users’ Life Satisfaction? In International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik.
[24]
Latif, K., Weng, Q., Pitafi, A. H., Ali, A., Siddiqui, A. W., Malik, M. Y., & Latife, Z. (2020). Social Comparison as a Double-Edged Sword on Social Media: The Role of Envy Type and Online Social Identity. Telematics and Informatics, 56, Article 101470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101470
[25]
Lee, K., & Yang, S. (2015). The Role of Online Product Reviews on Information Adoption of New Product Development Professionals. Internet Research, 25, 435-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-11-2013-0238
[26]
Liao, K. Y.-H., & Wei, M. (2011). Intolerance of Uncertainty, Depression, and Anxiety: The Moderating and Mediating Roles of Rumination. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67, 1220-1239. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20846
[27]
Lim, M., & Yang, Y. (2015). Effects of Users’ Envy and Shame on Social Comparison That Occurs on Social Network Services. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 300-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.013
[28]
Lin, R., & Utz, S. (2015). The Emotional Responses of Browsing Facebook: Happiness, Envy, and the Role of Tie Strength. Computers in Human Behavior, 52, 29-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.064
[29]
Liu, M., Jiang, Y., Wang, X., Liu, Q., & Wu, H. (2017). The Role of Rumination and Stressful Life Events in the Relationship between the Qi Stagnation Constitution and Depression in Women: A Moderated Mediation Model. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017, Article ID: 7605893. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7605893
[30]
Midgley, C. E. (2013). Keeping in Touch or Keeping Score? Social Comparisons on Facebook. Master’s Thesis, University of Toronto.
[31]
Montanari, F., Scapolan, A., & Gianecchini, M. (2016). ‘Absolutely Free’? The Role of Relational Work in Sustaining Artistic Innovation. Organization Studies, 37, 797-821. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840616647419
[32]
Morrow, J., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1990). Effects of Responses to Depression on the Remediation of Depressive Affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 519-527. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.3.519
[33]
Mumford, M. D., Hester, K. S., & Robledo, I. C. (2012). Creativity in Organizations: Importance and Approaches. In M. D. Mumford (Ed.), Handbook of Organizational Creativity (pp. 1-16). Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374714-3.00001-X
[34]
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1987). Sex Differences in Unipolar Depression: Evidence and Theory. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 259-282. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.101.2.259
[35]
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Larson, J., & Grayson, C. (1999). Explaining the Gender Difference in Depressive Symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1061-1072. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.1061
[36]
Parrott, W. G., & Smith, R. H. (1993). Distinguishing the Experiences of Envy and Jealousy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 906-920. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.906
[37]
Plucker, J. A., Beghetto, R. A., & Dow, G. T. (2004). Why Isn’t Creativity More Important to Educational Psychologists? Potentials, Pitfalls, and Future Directions in Creativity Research. Educational Psychologist, 39, 83-96. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1
[38]
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
[39]
Preacher, K. J., Rucker, D. D., & Hayes, A. F. (2007). Addressing Moderated Mediation Hypotheses: Theory, Methods, and Prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42, 185-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273170701341316
[40]
Runco, M. A. (2010). Creativity Has No Dark Side. In A. J. Cropley, J. C. Kaufman, & M. A. Runco (Eds.), The Dark Side of Creativity (pp. 15-32). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761225.002
[41]
Schachter, S. (1959). The Psychology of Affiliation. Stanford University Press.
[42]
Schmuck, D., Karsay, K., Matthes, J., & Stevic, A. (2019). “Looking Up and Feeling Down” the Influence of Mobile Social Networking Site Use on Upward Social Comparison, Self-Esteem, and Well-Being of Adult Smartphone Users. Telematics and Informatics, 42, Article 101240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2019.101240
[43]
Schoeck, H., Glenny, M., & Ross, B. (1969). Envy: A Theory of Social Behaviour. Harcourt, Brace & World.
[44]
Sloman, L., Gilbert, P., & Hasey, G. (2003). Evolved Mechanisms in Depression: The Role and Interaction of Attachment and Social Rank in Depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 74, 107-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(02)00116-7
[45]
Smith, R. H., & Kim, S. H. (2007). Comprehending Envy. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 46-64. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.46
[46]
Smock, A. D., Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., & Wohn, D. Y. (2011). Facebook as a Toolkit: A Uses and Gratification Approach to Unbundling Feature Use. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 2322-2329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.07.011
[47]
Stronge, S., Greaves, L. M., Milojev, P., West-Newman, T., Barlow, F. K., & Sibley, C. G. (2015). Facebook Is Linked to Body Dissatisfaction: Comparing Users and Non-Users. Sex Roles, 73, 200-213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0517-6
[48]
Tandoc Jr., E. C., Ferrucci, P., & Duffy, M. (2015). Facebook Use, Envy, and Depression among College Students: Is Facebooking Depressing? Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 139-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053
[49]
Teismann, T., Het, S., Grillenberger, M., Willutzki, U., & Wolf, O. T. (2014). Writing about Life Goals: Effects on Rumination, Mood and the Cortisol Awakening Response. Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 1410-1419. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105313490774
[50]
Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination Reconsidered: A Psychometric Analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 247-259. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561
[51]
Tuori, A., & Vilén, T. (2011). Subject Positions and Power Relations in Creative Organizations: Taking a Discursive View on Organizational Creativity. Creativity and Innovation Management, 20, 90-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2011.00596.x
[52]
Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2011). Why Envy Outperforms Admiration. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 784-795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211400421
[53]
Vanhalst, J., Luyckx, K., Raes, F., & Goossens, L. (2012). Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Uncontrollable Ruminative Thoughts. The Journal of Psychology, 146, 259-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2011.555433
[54]
Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social Comparison, Social Media, and Self-Esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3, 206-222. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047
[55]
Walther, J. B. (2007). Selective Self-Presentation in Computer-Mediated Communication: Hyperpersonal Dimensions of Technology, Language, and Cognition. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 2538-2557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2006.05.002
[56]
Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012). A Review of Facebook Research in the Social Sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612442904
[57]
Wu, B. P., & Zhang, L. (2012). Envy: A Social Emotion Characterized by Hostility. Advances in Psychological Science, 20, 1467-1478. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2012.01467
[58]
Yang, L. X., & Zhang, J. K. (2009). The Progress and Trends of the Psychological Research on Envy. Psychological Science, 32, 655-657.
[59]
Zhou, J., Zuo, M., & Yu, Y. (2014). How Fundamental and Supplemental Interactions Affect Users’ Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Communities? A Social Cognitive Perspective. Internet Research, 24, 566-586. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-07-2013-0143
