Social Media Impact on Youth Identity

This assignment examines the complex relationship between social media and youth identity development. It analyzes how platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide opportunities for social bonding and self-expression while also posing risks such as cyberbullying and unrealistic portrayals of identity. The discussion highlights the importance of responsible social media use and encourages critical thinking about online self-presentation.

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADOLESCENTS
Social Media and Adolescents
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Executive Summary
This report intends to shed light on the use of the various platforms of the social media and
their effects on the adolescent users. This report also highlights the various aspects of risks as
well as opportunities provided by the use of these social media sites. This report also gives a
rough overview of the disclosure policy followed by the youths and the factors that motivate
the youths to do so. Lastly, the report concludes with a discussion of the impact of the use of
social media on the identity of the youths as well as their relation to their parents and family
members.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Social media and adolescents.....................................................................................................4
Disclosure processes of adolescents on the social media...........................................................4
Social media identity development............................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
Reference....................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
“Technology has made us Gods, even before we deserve to call ourselves human
beings.”
The above quoted lines of Woody Allen, the famous director clearly states the impact
of technology on the lives of the youths as well as the adults. The most common form of
technology used by the people is the various social media channels and online friendship
websites ("Forbes Welcome", 2018). Social media, can be defined, as the computed-oriented
technologies, which facilitate the sharing of opinions, ideas as well as personal details
(O'Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). The growth rate of the use of the various social media
channels like Twitter is clearly shown by the following figure-
Figure 1: The use of Twitter and social media
(Source: Pew Research Centre’s Internet and American Life Project tracking surveys.)

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Social media and adolescents
A recent trend seen among the youths as well as the adolescents from various parts of
the globe is the increasing use of the diverse platforms offered by the social media
(Strasburger et al., 2013). The impact of the use of the social media depends on the way it is
used for the kind of purposes for which it is used. A common trend seen among the majority
of the adolescents is the use of social for the purposes of interaction as well as social bonding
(Strasburger et al., 2013). This provides significant opportunities to them as it helps to
interact with other people who can motivate them as well as make them feel happy.
Therefore, the platform of social media can be used for constructive purposes as well.
Depression is one of the common problems faced by the majority of the youths from the
different parts of the world (Strasburger et al., 2013). Social media if used in a constructive
manner can help the youths to ward off depression as well (Strasburger et al., 2013).
However, there are some adverse effects of the use of social media. The youths often become
addicted to various unhealthy things like alcohol and drugs by the various attractive brand
pages as well as advertisements related to these products (Winpenny, Marteau & Nolte,
2013). The platform of social if not effectively used can lead to even more depression
(Winpenny, Marteau & Nolte, 2013). Recently, it is also seen that the various platforms of
social media for various cyber crimes as well as hate crimes.
Disclosure processes of adolescents on the social media
It is often seen that various platforms offered by the social media provide
opportunities to the youths to interact as well as create effective social bonds with the youths
from various diverse parts of the globe. Therefore, the youths often end up giving out their
personal details as well as other information to them over these electronic platforms. The
attraction to be liked as well as become popular often serves as a motivation for the youths

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for the process of disclosure of their identities (Strasburger et al., 2013). These information
and details in the hands of the wrong people can often cause significant harm to the youths to
whom the information is related. It is a reflection of this that the various cyber as well as hate
crimes are on a rise. Therefore, the youths need to be careful with whom they are sharing the
concerned information as it is often seen that the people often fake their identities over the
various social media channels and pretend to be someone who they are not (Taddicken,
2014). Here, the judgement of the individuals becomes very important as regarding whom to
trust and whom not to.
Social media identity development
An effective identity over the various social media is considered to be an important
aspect of the use of the different platforms offered by the various social media websites
(Taddicken, 2014). Therefore, many people fake their identities and say things about
themselves, which are not true to attract attention as well as “fake the image of a luminary
persona” (Taddicken, 2014). This becomes evident in the opinion of the director, Jaco Van
Dormael, that “Are we truly ourselves or are we just the figment of a ten year old child’s
imagination”. However, it is seen that the platform offered by these social media websites can
be used by the youths from the various diverse parts of the globe for the process of their
identity as well as personality development (Taddicken, 2014). The platform of social
provides opportunity to the youths to interact with various persons from different parts of the
globe. They can use this opportunity to develop their personality as well as identity traits,
which can help them in the longer run. It is often seen that the youths become so much
immersed in the virtual world offered by these social media websites that they start to ignore
their own flesh and blood parents and family (O'Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). However,
this should not be the case.

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Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear the various platforms offered
by the social media websites can be seen both as areas of opportunities as risks for the young
users. They can help them in the process of social bonding as well as the development of their
personalities. The youths often to attract attention as well as to get liked by the various other
users often follow the policy of disclosure. However, the increasing rates of hate as well as
cyber crimes reflect that such policy should not be followed and the youths should use their
judgement for the process of disclosure.

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Reference
Forbes Welcome. (2018). Forbes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2013/09/06/social-media-usage-up-800-
for-us-online-adults-in-just-8-years/#40ebb7ce4237
O'Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children,
adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804.
Strasburger, V. C., Hogan, M. J., Mulligan, D. A., Ameenuddin, N., Christakis, D. A., Cross,
C., ... & Moreno, M. A. (2013). Children, adolescents, and the
media. Pediatrics, 132(5), 958-961.
Taddicken, M. (2014). The ‘privacy paradox’in the social web: The impact of privacy
concerns, individual characteristics, and the perceived social relevance on different
forms of self‐disclosure. Journal of Computer
‐Mediated Communication, 19(2), 248-
273.
Winpenny, E. M., Marteau, T. M., & Nolte, E. (2013). Exposure of children and adolescents
to alcohol marketing on social media websites. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 49(2), 154-
159.

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