How teenagers may affirm themselves and create their online identity through social media platforms.
Stream: Identity & Online Advocacy.
Abstract.
This study elucidates the critical role that social media platforms play in helping millennials assert themselves and create their identity. It demonstrates how important social media platforms have been in enabling young individuals to publicly express themselves in accordance with their own self identities. Also, by emphasizing how Web 2.0 has been linked to social media technologies and how it has changed significantly over the past several years. Finally, but not least, the paper’s general focus is mostly on the benefits that social media platforms are demonstrating to emerging adults for their capacity to convey themselves and shape their personas. Yet, it demonstrates how these young individuals are really molding themselves into knowledgeable adults in the future using online media.
The word “social media” is now regarded as a necessity by many individuals, young and old alike. Social media, particularly among young adults, has been a huge aid for them throughout the latest pandemic emergency. Whether it’s via a job, a school, or socializing. It is the resource that enables individuals all over the world to remain in contact with one another. Social networking is a highly useful and significant communication system for all individuals in today’s world. It may be used to make new acquaintances and stay in contact with old friends who reside in other nations. To start, when we talk about online presence, we’re talking about the social identity that a social media user creates through engagement in online forums and groups as well as webpages where they may interact with others via social networking sites. That is a simple way to recognize millennials. However, as mentioned by Van Looy (2016), in the book “Social Media Management,” the relationship between web 2.0 and social networking sites is actually a progression in the digital world. Hence, considering these statements into account, it appears that the phrase “social media tools” is currently mostly used by young adults. They are regarded as the younger breed that utilizes the web the most. More than half of American teenagers and young adults exchange direct messages and utilize social media platforms, and much more than one-third of all online consumers participate in these practices, according to a study by Jones (2009). It means they are indeed the ones who use social media platforms the most. So, the study that follows will be discussed in the paper’s section on how social networking might help young individuals establish and form their persona.
The open communication and emotional expression of emerging adults digitally.
To start, it is certain that emerging adults place a great importance on having access to social media platforms for expressing their identity. As a result, social media platforms like Facebook are acknowledged as being particularly helpful to young individuals since they employ many different methods to display their uniqueness. They may convey themselves by taking pictures and videos and uploading them online. This reveals a little of their personality to the viewers. This aspect of the young adults gives the viewers a peek of the online personas they are developing since it is a continuous process. For instance, publishing on a certain subject might reveal the real personality of the youngsters to other individuals. The emerging adults’ identities would also be shaped in a specific manner, which would encourage them to think deeply. As a result, this could forge a connection with the other individual since they might identify with the content of the message. As a result, this is a really positive aspect of social media in terms of strengthening online relationships. Also, given this circumstance, Facebook members have the ability to remark and share their own opinions on these postings, which creates an excellent learning experience for young people. Yet, when user-generated interactive media are being used, the phrase “participatory culture” may be seen. People share and comment on millennials’ online posts. Furthermore, where communities and teenagers are participating in communication. By forming their minds and talents, this helps kids encounter the online world more favorably. Rheingold (2008) derived this conclusion from his study, which reads, “Participatory media are social networks whose significance and impact arise from the direct involvement of many individuals.” It implies that through interacting with several other online consumers and in some other way articulating themselves to the outside world, social media aids young people in conveying their personality.
Participatory culture facilitates teenagers in defining and expressing their identities online.
Thus, taking the idea of participatory media into consideration, it is a proven truth that young people utilize Facebook to represent themselves via the usage of emojis. It is a means for individuals to show their individuality when they submit an emoji as a remark on a given subject, no matter if it’s a video, a picture, or even comments on other people’s posts. Mostly due to the fact that using emojis is often the simplest method for people to be able to convey who they are. Emoji are referenced by Zika (2021), as being able to help soothe the often-harsh words that young adults send to one another, using an example from a teenager. In continuation of an event that was discussed in the Zika study, “A communication with emoji generates different feelings in me than a text without emoji.” The recipient of an emoji will have a psychological effect as a result of seeing it. For instance, “they gave me a distressing text that was hard for me to process, and as a result, I felt forced to seek revenge against whomever had given me the message in my answer to them. On the other side, someone else wrote me a message that was challenging; nevertheless, at the conclusion of the message, he added an emoji with heart eyes, which made it easier for me to cope with his text, and I responded to the content of his statement”. This particular example from Zika demonstrates how much of an influence and effect emoji has on the lives of young people. Emojis, in some way, make it easier for adolescents and young adults to express themselves and form their identities. Yet, the social media is molding them in such a manner that they are getting so connected with social networking sites online that they express themselves via those systems. This is one way in which the social media is influencing them.
Millennials’ efforts to define themselves in the society’s perception.
The second benefit of expressing one’s identity online is the assistance it provides to young people in the process of self-fashioning for the purpose of making a highly favorable first impact on society and the general public. Establishing a strong dedication to both their career and their own selves is another aspect that plays a role in determining what people say and do on various social media sites. Sometimes, individuals find that disclosing their genuine identities gives them a boost in self-assurance and proves that they are competent of doing work that is valued by members of the community (Grieve & Watkinson, 2016). It is the introduction of a public spotlight for the youngsters, which is a bit of a step into professionalism. Because of this, the instruments of social media are in some ways the foundation of their achievement in life. Since they’re exposed to and become aware of a variety of topics that may assist them in expressing who they are as individuals as a result of having an online presence. They have the opportunity to investigate an increasing number of topics online, which, in some way, helps to improve the individual that they already are. Since they are capable of encountering many aspects, see them, and comprehend them via the use of social media websites, these adolescents are better able to navigate a positive route in society as a result of their use of social networks. Consumers are thus more linked to the accessibility of networks, which continuously plays a part in self-evaluation and continual contemplation of what the person can give for certain. As a result, it is very important for young people to constantly portray the genuine version of themselves on their social media profiles in order to establish a positive reputation for themselves as a direct consequence of their identification in the eyes of viewers. because doing so will benefit them in some way in the future with regard to their own image in the community. These young people have a better status because they have strong communication skills, which can be observed on social networking sites where they connect with their peers on images that they post and share. This interaction takes place on photos that the young adults post and share of themselves. Meanwhile, in web 2.0, social media has grown into a contemporary tool that all young people utilize to obtain knowledge of engaging in and comprehending ideas relevant to their environment. This is because social media allows users to communicate with one another in real time. But, when it comes to young people being able to express who they are, social media may occasionally present some barriers. As it is possible that other users of the social media site may not completely comprehend what they are saying and will interpret it in a different manner, it is possible that they could be misinterpreted at times. In the current age, known as web 2.0, these are some recent developments that have taken place. In addition, when young people share their media texts on social networking sites, they could be doing so with their own frame of mind. Nevertheless, other users of social media might not be on the same level as the young adults, especially when it comes to older users. It’s possible that they’ll discover anything inaccurate or negative in what the young people have revealed and expressed. As a result, this may cause friction between the older and younger generation. Due to this, it is important that young adults give careful attention to what they post and express on the various social media platforms, particularly on Facebook, which is a platform that is often used by older people.
In summation, it is not possible to deny the existence of social networking sites despite the fact that it brings many positive improvements to our daily lives. Since the vast majority of our emerging adults have already created an identity using it. On the other hand, developing an addiction to it is not a good idea. It will have a detrimental impact on our ability to learn, it will lead us to avoid facing reality, and it will be injurious to our physical well-being. A substantial amount of time is spent by young people on various forms of social media. They are also more vulnerable to the dangers posed by things like peer pressure, poor self-esteem, and psychological problems. Several research studies have demonstrated an association between greater usage of social media and a higher likelihood of clinical depression, anxiousness, trouble sleeping, eating disorders, and suicide. To reduce the risk of young people developing an addiction to social media, more time should be spent by them engaging in extracurricular activities, learning, and playing sports. Young people are given the opportunity to “think about the person they want to be” as a result of being exposed to members of the public sphere online who are living the life that they want to live when they participate in social media technologies. People then have the desire to show the outside world that they are a member of the community by altering their existence, attitudes, activities, and shopping habits to mirror their own personality and display who they want to be in the future. And yet, as a direct consequence of social media, people’s lives have been profoundly transformed. Social media, which is a very valuable instrument for us in the twenty-first century and may aid us in enhancing our lives, has made the lives of adults of all ages, including young people, more pleasant. This is the case for both younger adults and older adults. As we use them, we need to be sure to keep this in mind. It would be a worthwhile endeavor for us if we could acquire the skills necessary to make successful use of social media.
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Grieve, R., & Watkinson, J. (2016). Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Advance online publication.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2016.0010
Jones, S., & Fox, S. (2009). Generations online in 2009. Pew Internet and American Life Project.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2009/Generations-Online-in-2009.aspx
Rheingold, H. (2008). “Using Participatory Media and Public Voice to Encourage Civic Engagement.” Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. 97–118.
https://www.issuelab.org/resources/881/881.pdf
Van Looy, A. (2016). Definitions, Social Media Types, and Tools. In Social Media Management. 21-47.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-21990-5_2
Zilka, G. C. (2021). Attitudes, Emotions, and the Use of Emoji in Social Networking Apps by Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults. Interchange, 52(3), 337-
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https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10780-021-09439-z
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