Social media is an important feature of the current society, especially for teenagers. The impact of social media on different facets of teenage development, mainly the formation of identity, has been highly publicized in the mass media. This paper will examine the portrayal of social media’s influence on adolescent identity formation in popular media through scientific research in developmental psychology.
Kem focuses on concerns concerning social media use among teens. The article talks about how apps such as Instagram and TikTok are shaping young people’s perceptions of beauty, success, and popularity. It highlights the negative influence of social media on self-esteem and mental well-being, indicating that excessive use of these platforms can result in feelings of inadequacy and comparison.
Adolescence is a crucial phase accompanied by a myriad of developmental turning points in shaping identities. According to the psychosocial theory by Erik Erikson, adolescents are at a stage where role confusion and identity development take place (Orenstein & Lewis, 2022). Significant milestones can be viewed as the foundation of personal values, beliefs, and objectives, the development of friends, and the formation of social identity.
Social media’s influence on adolescents’ identity building is one of the questions that come to the fore from the lifespan developmental perspective. It captures the reciprocity of construction, where social media, on the one hand, may reinforce while, on the other, negatively affects identity formation. Furthermore, it highlights the multifaceted context of development, as adolescents are concurrently operating inside virtual and real-world surroundings (Doble, 2018). Furthermore, addressing this topic needs a multi-disciplinary study that combines the knowledge of psychology, sociology, and communication. Developmental plasticity implies that teenagers can be expected to change their identity course within the context of their social encounters, including social media interactions. To conclude, the spotlight of this essay will be on the cultural factors that mold the way adolescents interact on social media and the manner in which they construct their identities owing to the multicultural nature of adolescence.
Marciano and Viswanath (2023), in their research, argue that levels of social media usage correlated with improved identity discovery among teenagers and also led to intensified identity expression. The article incorporating statistical data reveals that social media has an impact on the way teenagers perceive themselves. (Colak et al., 2023) research focused on the role of meditating systems that contribute to the relationship between teenagers’ self-esteem and their dependence on social media. Effects revealed that social comparison mediated the relation as adolescents engaged in upward social comparison with idealized images exposed on social media that led to lower self-esteem. The results add to the knowledge of the fact that social life in virtual reality has a significant impact on adolescents’ self-perceptions.
mainstream media echoes the results of the research work on the topic of social media’s influence on adolescent identity formation in today’s psychology field. It properly explains the anxieties that are related to the issue of over-sharing on social networks among teens and providing identity development (Colak et al., 2023). The portrayal in the monologue of social media as a double-edged sword that can, on the one hand, help explore and, on the other hand, create more confusion is what is empirically evident. Therefore, the media report is in agreement with the current models dealing with developmental tracks and stages of adolescence.
In conclusion, the portrayal of social media’s role in shaping identity in adolescents in popular media draws on genuine real-life concerns based on scientific evidence. Through assessing the credibility of media reports and integrating scientific information from developmental psychology, we gain a profound understanding of the interaction between social media and adolescent development. Another step forward is to continue conducting interdisciplinary research and advocating media literacy among teenagers to help them develop a positive identity in the digital era.
Colak, M., Bingol, O. S., & Dayi, A. (2023). Self-esteem and social media addiction level in adolescents: The mediating role of body image. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(5), 595. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_306_22
Doble, K. (2018). Social Media’s Influence on Adolescent Identity. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&context=community_of_scholars
Marciano, L., & Viswanath, K. (2023). Social media use and adolescents’ well-being: A note on flourishing. Frontiers in Psychology, p. 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1092109
Orenstein, G. A., & Lewis, L. (2022). Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556096/