Social media: A digital social mirror for identity development during adolescence
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Abstract According to recent studies, social media are settings where adolescents construct their identities while engaging in social interactions. In digital spaces, adolescents can interact with, display, and receive feedback about themselves, contributing to the development of a clear and integrated sense of self. This paper reviews the available empirical evidence and discusses four overarching themes related to identity construction in social media: self-presentation (attempting to control images of self to others), social comparison (compare themselves with others, especially evaluating the self), role model (media figures that are social references for behavior), and online audience (friends, peers, unknow/know referents with whom users may interact online). Moreover, it proposes a new contextual perspective on identity development on social media. Informed by research on these themes that social media features allow adolescents to perform self-presentations, offering the opportunity to express interests, ideas, and beliefs about themselves (identification and role exploration). The image presented on social media exposes them to feedback, online audiences, and social comparison with peers or social models. Audiences have an impact on how adolescents think about themselves (self-concept validation). Role models can facilitate the learning of behaviors through imitation and identification (exploration and commitment). Thus, the digital world provides a context for the development of adolescents’ personal identity. This proposal aims to contribute to the construction of future theories on identity in social media and advance this area of research.
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The way that SI involves social roles enhances undergraduate students' PU within the context of using technology.
“The way that SI involves social roles enhances undergraduate students’ PU within the context of using technology [66].”
From Advancing Undergraduate Student Mental Healthcare of Social Anxiety Disorder: Evaluating the Acceptance of AR-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Through TAM-Based Constructs. (2026) · cites this paper as [66]
The sections on identity development and role models discuss how peers and influencers shape adolescents’ identities on social media. Searches for social influence, perceived usefulness, and undergraduate technology use found no passage addressing the claimed relationship between SI and PU. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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“Self-identity is significantly shaped through social interactions within society (Christiansen, 1999; Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
BEYOND THE TREND: UNDERSTANDING MIMICRY CULTURE AMONG YOUNG SOCIAL MEDIA USERS IN KERALA
Anaina, B., & Ravindran, L. (2026) · ShodhVichar Journal of Media and Mass Communication · doi:10.29121/shodhvichar.v2.i1.2026.89 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Hanifah, R., & Wigati, M. (2025) · Bulletin of Counseling and Psychotherapy · doi:10.51214/002025071584000 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
A Gendered Understanding of School Shootings on Screen
Kerr, S. E. M. (2025) · Open Screens · doi:10.16995/os.11041 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Impact of YouTube User‐Generated Content on News Dissemination and Youth Information Reception
Chunqiong, W., Shan, J., Jianhong, S., & Yingqi, L. (2025) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.70408 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bernhard, A., & Shamri-Zeevi, L. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1597831 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Profiling Cross-Generational Cyber Resilience through Scale Development
Takács, J. M., & Pogátsnik, M. (2025) · International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP) · doi:10.3991/ijep.v15i7.58939 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Exploring the potentials and pitfalls of digital art therapy with adolescents
Krishnasamy, E., & Lith, T. V. (2025) · International Journal of Art Therapy · doi:10.1080/17454832.2025.2597198 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Risky online self-disclosure in adolescents: a meta-analytic review of predictors and outcomes
Sun, J., Ghazali, A. H. A., & Abdul, R. S. N. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1734301 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Adolescents increasingly use multimodal symbolic resources such as text, images, and short videos to engage in display-oriented rather than narrative-oriented self-expression (Hernández-Serrano et al., 2022; Danielsen et al., 2024; Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
Purnama, D. H. (2026) · Cogent Social Sciences · doi:10.1080/23311886.2026.2629632 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Tang, H., Ahern, A. L., Spreckley, M., & Smith, A. D. (2026) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/89344 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“This mirrors recent trends in UK youth, who have become more thoughtful and selective in their digital habits over time [23,44].”
Psychometric Properties of the Measure of Online Disinhibition (MOD) in Chilean Adolescents
Polanco-Levicán, K., Gálvez-Nieto, J. L., & Norambuena-Paredes, I. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16030451 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
A systematic review of social media use among rural US adolescents and associated health outcomes
Moufawad, M., DeLapp, S., Rhodes, S., Rose, K. L., Domoff, S. E., Kells, M. R., Hunger, J. M., Wallace, L., Brewer, S., Coleman, A., et al. (2026) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-026-27462-6 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Pearce, E. E., Majid, A., Brown, T., Shepherd, R. F., Rising, C., Wilsnack, C., Thompson, A. S., Gilkey, M. B., Ribisl, K. M., Lazard, A. J., et al. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/64343 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Al-Asal, M. S. (2025) · E-Learning and Digital Media · doi:10.1177/20427530251391105 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Lei, X., Wang, Z., Yao, Q., & Yang, D. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-07156-1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Hartselle, S., Deol, Y., & Miselis, K. (2025) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.chc.2025.05.011 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Putri, A. M., Isriyah, M., & Masyitoh, D. (2025) · Jurnal Pembelajaran Bimbingan dan Pengelolaan Pendidikan · doi:10.17977/um065.v5.i10.2025.3 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Müller, M. S., Mähner, P. M., Nolte, I. M., et al. (2025) · European Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1108/ejm-04-2024-0278 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Velicu, A., & Tőkés, G. E. (2025) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100871 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Mann, R. B. (2025) · Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy · doi:10.1002/jaal.70028 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Miswaty, T. C., Fahry, Triwijoyo, B. K., & Patty, E. N. S. (2025) · International Conference on Cybernetics and Intelligent System (ICORIS) · doi:10.1109/icoris67789.2025.11296112 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“In multilingual nations such as Indonesia, which is home to more than 700 regional languages and hundreds of unique speech varieties, TTS [5], [6] systems play a crucial role in bridging linguistic gaps in education, broadcasting, and public services.”
Pistoll, D., Bröning, S., & Degen, J. L. (2025) · Beratung aktuell · doi:10.30820/1437-3181-2025-2-11 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Recasting Symbolic Interactionism in the Digital Age: A Goffmanian Lens on Youth Identity in Tourism
Lê, N. H. (2026) · Leisure Sciences · doi:10.1080/01490400.2026.2620524 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
What do you mean by “Hood” Prom? : Joyful Narratives Shown Through The Eyes of Black Teens on TikTok
Williams, G., Rusagara, S., & To, A. (2026) · ACM Transactions on Social Computing · doi:10.1145/3797821 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Serrano, M. J. H., Arellano, P. R., Lena-Acebo, F. J., & Larrea, B. G. (2026) · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth · doi:10.1080/02673843.2026.2670402 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Lynch, C. G., Miller, K., & Thaller, S. R. (2026) · Journal of Craniofacial Surgery · doi:10.1097/scs.0000000000013090 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Virtual Perfection: Visual Cues, Disclosure, and Adolescent Responses to Virtual Influencers
Ahn, R. J., Su, Y.-O.-C., & Zhao, X.-Y. (2026) · Journal of Interactive Advertising · doi:10.1080/15252019.2026.2681492 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Global youth as catalysts for legal and sustainable wildlife trade solutions
Anagnostou, M., Ng, C. B. Y., Cepeda, R., et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Conservation Science · doi:10.3389/fcosc.2025.1553549 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Navigating the Digital Landscape
Asrifan, A., & Rismawati, R. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-5132-2.ch016 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Zhou, Z., Zhou, Y., Ouyang, B., Man, S. S., & Chan, A. H. S. (2026) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare14131978
Franco, J. M. Y. (2025) · Estudios y Perspectivas Revista Científica y Académica · doi:10.61384/r.c.a..v4i4.819
Exploring the Role of Independent Living Workers in How Youth in Care Access and Utilize Technology
Reiss, D. M., Perry, M. A., Gomez, R. J., Tomlinson, C., & Reddish, N. (2025) · Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal · doi:10.1007/s10560-025-01018-w · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Youth can engage in observational learning, a key construct of SCT (Bandura, 1986 , 2001), about technology use by observing the behaviors of peers and influencers on social media and their consequences (Li & Li, 2024; Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
Social Media Engagement and Identity: The Loneliness and FOMO Experience of Young People
Doktorová, D., Mghari, S. E., & Tokovská, M. (2025) · Communication Today · doi:10.34135/communicationtoday.2025.vol.16.no.1.10
Ogunwemimo, O., ADEKOYA, R. H. O., & FLORENCE, S. (2025) · Journal of Human Social and Political Science Research · doi:10.70382/sjhspsr.v8i6.021
Representación y uso de las redes sociales en las series de televisión
Hernández‐Santaolalla, V., Delmar, J. L., & Hermida, A. (2025) · Zer - Revista de Estudios de Comunicación · doi:10.1387/zer.27584
Boyd, K., Bliss, L., Fan, T., Kern, K., Calhoun, C. S., Moreno, M. A., Cascio, C. N., & Selkie, E. M. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.84461
ปจจยทมความสมพนธกบความวตกกงวลทางสงคมจากการใชเครอขายสงคมออนไลนของนกศกษาพยาบาล
ผ่องแผ้ว, ไ., คติชอบ, ณ., & สันประโคน, ป. (2025) · Thai Red Cross Nursing Journal · doi:10.64767/trcn.2025.272867
Ahn, C. K., Nagata, J. M., Rodgers, R. F., Testa, A. M., & Ganson, K. T. (2025) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101976
Everything to everyone, all at once: Digital human versions as objects of agency and surrender
Henrickson, L., & Tompkins-Tinari, L. S. (2025) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448251391735
“Research already shows that peer feedback on social media influences the development of young people’s identities and self-perception (Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
Haspestan, S. H., Bahrami, N., & Alimoradi, Z. (2025) · Discover Social Science and Health · doi:10.1007/s44155-025-00330-1
“Perceived social isolation in digital environments can distort self-perception, particularly when users compare themselves to peers who appear more socially successful [40].”
Clark, S., Mucinskas, D., Barendsen, L., McHugh, K., & Cantor, A. (2025) · Journal of Character Education · doi:10.1108/jced-08-2025-0007
Güler, Ş., & Demi̇r, M. (2025) · Journal of Family Counseling and Education · doi:10.32568/jfce.1760699
Performing Identity of the Dead on YouTube
Chibike, J. J., & Musekiwa, R. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-4267-2.ch009
Ohu, F. C., & Jones, L. A. (2025) · Scientific Bulletin · doi:10.2478/bsaft-2025-0024
“Studies have linked identity distress to higher rates of impulsive content sharing, further demonstrating how developmental challenges intersect with digital manipulation (Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
Netflix’s “Adolescence”: Resonances of Teenage Mental Health in the Indian Sociocultural Context
Florence, K., Krishnamurthy, S., Meena, K. S., et al. (2026) · Journal of Psychiatry Spectrum · doi:10.4103/jopsys.jopsys_126_25
Pal, A., Mathad, K., Deshpande, A., Mahajan, K. N., Virani, F., Singh, T., & Dabolkar, S. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-5307-4.ch012
Anastacio-Coello, L., Palomino-Moreno, H., & Atarama-Rojas, T. R. (2026) · Smart innovation, systems and technologies · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-09911-2_26
Kezzy, W. W., & Wanjiru, B. N. (2025) · Russian Journal of Education and Psychology · doi:10.12731/2658-4034-2025-16-5-831
Adolescentes y redes sociales: identidad digital, autoestima y validación social
Gutiérrez-Martín, N., & Olmedo, E. O. (2026) · Doxa Comunicación Revista interdisciplinar de estudios de comunicación y ciencias sociales · doi:10.31921/doxacom.n42a3049 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Durante la adolescencia, etapa en la que se produce la consolidación del autoconcepto y la construcción progresiva de la autoi-magen (Pérez-Torres, 2024), los jóvenes recurren con frecuencia a los entornos digitales como escenarios donde explorar distin-tas facetas de su identidad.”
Pérez, P. L., Pascual, B. L. D. G., & Feijoo, B. (2026) · Doxa Comunicación Revista interdisciplinar de estudios de comunicación y ciencias sociales · doi:10.31921/doxacom.n42a2971
Sarnelli, V., Fusco, L., & Sica, L. S. (2025) · IEEE International Conference on Metrology for eXtended Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Neural Engineering (MetroXRAINE) · doi:10.1109/metroxraine66377.2025.11340206
Identity processes and distress: a person-centered analysis of ecuadorian university students
Gfellner, B. M., Bartoszuk, K., Deal, J., Cordero-Hermida, F., & Córdoba, A. I. G. (2026) · Cogent Mental Health · doi:10.1080/28324765.2026.2626604
“In the global world, this aligns with a myriad of information sources available on the internet, social media internet, social media (e.g. Avci et al., 2025; Katzarska-Miller & Reysen, 2022; Kumar, 2025; Perez-Torres, 2024) as well as peer and scholastic interactions.”
Boyd, K., Bliss, L. B., Fan, T., Kern, K., Calhoun, C. S., Moreno, M. A., Cascio, C. N., & Selkie, E. M. (2026) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/84461
“Social media may extend this process by providing a space to publicly display and reinforce these identities [2,31].”
Kombong, M. S. M., Sinaga, M. P. P., & Teda, A. F. (2026) · Linguistics Initiative · doi:10.53696/27753719.61373
“This adaptation process reflects what (Pérez-Torres, 2024) study on how social media mirror for identity development.”
Hladík, J., Hrbáčková, K., & Šafránková, A. P. (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-026-43516-6 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“These implicit attitudes likely reflect broader cultural and developmental influences, such as the ubiquity of digital technologies, their central role in peers’ social lives, and their importance for self-presentation and identity 85,86 .”
AKSÜT, G. S. (2026) · Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi · doi:10.16953/deusosbil.1528490
Wang, Z., Ding, N., Ye, H., & Lin, L. (2026) · Applied Research in Quality of Life · doi:10.1007/s11482-026-10588-5
“Visually oriented social media platforms also create a digital mirror (Pérez-Torres, 2024 ), in which adolescents are not only recipients of external information but also shapers and presenters of their own image (Wilson, 2002 ).”
Representaciones mediáticas de mujeres en la ciencia: un análisis Brasil-España
Ferreira, C. P., Melguizo-Garín, A., & García‐Cid, A. (2026) · El Guiniguada · doi:10.20420/elguiniguada.2026.846
Grimminger‐Seidensticker, E., & Korte, J. (2026) · German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research · doi:10.1007/s12662-026-01107-7
“Bysharing, tagging, liking, commenting on fitspiration content, or producing their own content, social media offers them the opportunity for self-presentation and identity exploration, which is crucial during adolescence (Pérez-Torres, 2024).”
Coşguner, T., Demiraslan, T., Şirin, T. Z., Altındağ, A., & Kurt, H. B. (2026) · Pamukkale University Journal of Education · doi:10.9779/pauefd.1573488
Die Krise der psychischen Gesundheit
Strittmatter, E., & Möhler, E. (2026) · Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie · doi:10.1024/1422-4917/a001076
Purnomo, I. M. B. A., Ana, I. K. T. A., Mardika, I. P., & Kantina, I. K. A. D. (2026) · Acta Pedagogia Asiana · doi:10.53623/apga.v5isi.1121
Dub, M., & Ponzel, V. (2026) · Scientific Notes of Lviv University of Business and Law · doi:10.66556/2663-0117.48.dub-m
Особенности социальной идентичности современных российских студентов
Гайченя, Т. А. (2026) · All-Russian Scientific and Practical Journal of Social and Humanitarian Research · doi:10.46741/sgjournal.2026.20.1.007
Çay, R., & Güney, E. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04587-2
“Additionally, it enables individuals to meet fundamental social needs such as self-expression, interaction, and receiving feed-back [65].”
Identity Exploration in Digital Spaces
Negru‐Subtirica, O. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-52643-5_72-1
Kayran, Z. (2026) · Medya ve Kültürel Çalışmalar Dergisi · doi:10.55055/mekcad.1896990
Weiguo, J., Xu, N., Wang, Y., & XianJun, Z. (2026) · Psycho-Oncologie · doi:10.18282/po4230
Aguiar, T. R., Brooks, T. R., & Lopes, D. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-52643-5_55-1
- Authors
- Pérez-Torres, V.
- Affiliations
- Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Pérez-Torres, Vanesa
- ORCID
- Pérez-Torres, Vanesa
- Venue
- Current Psychology
- Published
- 2024-04-24
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 26
- Pages
- 22170-22180
- ISSN
- 1046-1310 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-4733
- OpenAlex
- W4395075462
- Semantic Scholar
- df9ff32304ed9305d259c81fe3790757d1ae6719
- Cited by
- 147
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 89 · 2025: 50 · 2024: 8
- FWCI
- 105.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- BURJC Digital (King Juan Carlos University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Hispana (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Keywords
- social media, identity construction, adolescence, self-presentation, social comparison, role models, online audiences, identification, imitation
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