Social Media Perfectionism: Understanding the (Unhealthy) Urge to Self-Improve

Social media (SM) platforms are heavily integrated into modern day-to-day life. However, the concerns about the effects of SM on users' self-image and behaviors persist. Recent findings point to the motivational outcomes of SM use that paradoxically arise from the hostile experience of social comparison and potentially represent another form of peer pressure. Indeed, SM users purchase status items to impress others and even resort to radical makeovers and dangerous activities to look better on SM and beyond. This research-in-progress paper addresses the phenomenon of SM perfectionism, characterized by users' intense drive for illusive flawlessness in their online presence and critical evaluations of oneself and others on SM. We propose an SM-specific definition of perfectionism and offer a theory-based explanation of its multi-faceted structure, which includes potentially favorable and unfavorable aspects. We further initiate the development of a measurement instrument for SM perfectionism. In doing so, we lay the groundwork for future studies into users' drive for flawlessness, its nature, and outcomes.