Social Media and Identity Formation – The Influence of Self-Presentation and Social Comparison

Abstract

For today’s youth, media and technology are major social elements, and they spend a substantial portion of their daily lives conversing via social media. According to Rideout (2010), youth that use the media regularly have a large number of friends, get along well with their parents, and are pleased with their schools and institutions. Those that use the media frequently also say that they get into a lot of trouble, are frequently upset or unhappy, and are frequently bored. Individuals’ offline contacts with others decline as their spending on social networking sites increases, meaning that the majority of their socialising and sociability occurs in the glow of a screen. As a result, social media has the potential to influence an individual’s psychological well-being, particularly among teens, as well as identity building, modifying how people see themselves and others. Without needing to meet in person, people can utilise social networking to create an identity and communicate with others. It offers both chances and obstacles for developing a consistent, stable, and meaningful sense of self. The paper elucidates the impact of social media on young people’s self-presentation, social comparison, and self-esteem, as well as how it affects their identity construction. In today’s technology environment, most studies on social networking sites have focused on the bad effects. However, this paper focuses on the positive sides of social media and how it aids in the formation of identity.