Identity in the Digital Age: Social Media & Self Concept

Developmentally, teens and youth are especially concerned about how they are perceived by their peers.  They want to be liked and admired by their peers.

In understanding how social media impacts self perception, we can take one step back and look at some definitions, as well as have a basic understanding of some developmental theories.  This will create a shared jumping off point for understanding how social and digital media intersects with self concept.

Self Concept 

As we grow up, we acquire a better understanding of who we are, and who we are becoming.  We get to know ourselves better.  There are many factors that impact our self concept.  These include, the way that other interact with us including parents, caregivers, family members, and friends.  It also includes teachers and strangers we might encounter as we go about our days. 

Self concept is also impacted by the stories we hear.  These stories include family stories, as well as cultural stories (such as fairy tales) and stories that we find in literature that leave a mark on us.

Our exposure to digital and social media also impact self concept because they promote values and attributes that many of us would like to embody.

Humanist psychologist Carl Rogers believed that self-concept is made up of three different parts:

• Ideal self: The ideal self is the person you want to be. This person has the attributes or qualities you are either working toward or want to possess. It's who you envision yourself to be if you were exactly as you wanted.
• Self-image: Self-image refers to how you see yourself at this moment in time. Attributes like physical characteristics, personality traits, and social roles all impact your self-image.
• Self-esteem: How much you like, accept, and value yourself all contribute to your self-concept in the form of self-esteem. Self-esteem can be impacted by a number of factors—including how others see you, how you think you compare to others, and your role in society.

Understanding both self concept and the developmental stage of teenagers is important.

Eric Erikson, a developmental psychologist, believed that the primary psychosocial task of adolescence was establishing an identity. Although adults know that self concept is not static, and that it changes throughout life, pre teens and teens often  struggle with the question “Who am I?” They are often unsure how how they look, what they believe in, how they should behave, what they should be interested in, their gender identity, and sexual orientation. Eric Erikson described this normal, yet turbulent, stage of development as  a time of confusion and experimentation regarding identity.

In sum, during adolescence, teens do not commit to an identity, but rather they explore a variety of options related to identity and self concept which will allow them to develop a more coherent self concept.

We know that students are using social and digital media with more frequency, and we also know that students use social media to seek and/or need social approval. Frequent users of social media affirm that self satisfaction is dependent on social media feedback and "likes" or other affirmations.  But we don't know if  social media creates this need in students.  It is more than possible that students who need social approval are drawn to sites such as Facebook and TikToc to meet an already existing need.

Within this context, what do we know about the intersection of social media and identity, and what is research telling us about it? Teens and youth in the digital age are not passive users and consumers of social and digital media. Rather, they are active self agents who not only actively participate in, interpret, and learn from social media but who also create, produce and evaluate their own media. 

It is important to affirm that this generation prioritizes self expression and social connectivity more than any previous generation of students.  In this context, self expression is NOT about narcissistic self involvement but rather about the willingness to share developing aspects of themselves with their peers in forming and reforming their own self concept.

Positive ways in which social media impacts self concept

Self Validation: students use social media to form an identity that in meaningful to them as well as socially sanctioned.  Support and affirmation promotes their sense of place in the world, their security, self confidence and their stability.

Social media and digital media empower students to experiment with aspects of their identity online and gauge feedback from peers in a controlled environment.  It can be a a safe forum for personal expression.

Students are able to connect with like minded peers from across the globe, and from diverse backgrounds.

Negative ways in which social media impacts self concept

Images and posts on social and digital media are often manicured and filtered.  This means they do not always reflect reality.  As a result of this, students are unwittingly exposed to unrealistic standards.  For example, filtered and unnatural  images of a specific body type may cause students to feel unattractive, develop low esteem and loss of confidence.

Students may become reliant on large audiences for social validation and approval from peers.  

Students may focus on social and digital media rather than developing relationship skills for in person contacts.