The Comparative Trap: How Social Comparison Orientation Drives Problematic Generative AI (GenAI) Use
For researchers and practitioners concerned with problematic GenAI use, this work identifies social comparison as a key driver, but it is an incremental extension of the I-PACE model to a new context.
This study found that social comparison orientation directly drives problematic GenAI use, and indirectly through FoMO-induced AI flow and perceived irreplaceability, based on data from 396 Chinese users.
Although Generative AI (GenAI) improves task efficiency in the short term, it creates competitive pressures that perpetuate individuals' fear of being eliminated, thereby increasing the risk of problematic use. Existing research has focused on the perspective of individual psychological vulnerability, but has neglected the social comparison context caused by GenAI. This study examines the direct effects of social comparison orientation on problematic GenAI use and explores their indirect effects via emotional and cognitive mechanisms, grounded in the Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model. The research analyzed data from 396 Chinese GenAI users using SEM and bootstrap methods. Findings show that social comparison orientation has a significant direct impact on problematic GenAI use and can additionally influence AI flow and perceived irreplaceability through fear of missing out (FoMO), finally leading to problematic GenAI use.