The Presentation of Selfie in Everyday Life: Considering the Relationship Between Social Media Design and User in the Online Actions and Interactions of Young People

Abstract

Against a backdrop of young people increasingly using an array of social media platforms for a range of social activities [20], accessed through a variety of devices [27], this paper reports upon the findings of a research project considering the effect of these platforms upon the actions and interactions of young people. Reporting on findings from a series of interviews conducted over the course of a year with nine participants, the research discusses the participants' thoughts and impressions of the platforms, their uses of specific features, their social actions and interactions, and the effects of changes in their offline lives and their specific socio- cultural situations upon their online interactions. The findings reveal a range of social media engagements by young people across a wide array of platforms, with the participants' specific concerns and needs shaping how they engaged with social media. It was also found that the platforms played a role in shaping the actions and interactions of the young people, limiting what was possible for them and informing how they approached social interaction on each platform. As such, it was noted that online social interactions are increasingly nuanced and multi-faceted, and therefore an approach towards analyzing interactions online needs to account for the interplay between design and user from which unique and ongoing interactions emerge.