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Cited by 148Impact of Technology on AdolescentsMedia and Digital CommunicationIdentity, Memory, and Therapy

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Social media: a digital social mirror for identity development during adolescence

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Pérez-Torres, Vanesa·2024·Current Psychology
DOI 10.1007/s12144-024-05980-z
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Abstract

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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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Marcia, J. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 159–187). Wiley.
  2. Schlenker, B. (2003). Self-presentation. In M. R. Leary, & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 492–518). Guilford.
  3. Swann, W. B. Jr. (1983). Self-verification: Bringing social reality into harmony with the self. Social psychological perspectives on the self. In J. Suls, & A. G. Greenwald (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on the self (Vol. 2, pp. 33–66). Erlbaum.

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Metadata

Authors
Pérez-Torres, V.
Affiliations
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (ES)
Corresponding author
Pérez-Torres, Vanesa
ORCID
Pérez-Torres, Vanesa
Venue
Current Psychology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-04-24
Volume
43
Issue
26
Pages
22170-22180
ISSN
  • 1046-1310 (ISSN-L)
  • 1936-4733
DOI
10.1007/s12144-024-05980-z
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
Licence
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
  • Social Sciences › Communication › 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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