Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA ON ADOLESCENT IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

Social Media on Adolescent Identity Development

Caitlin Canale
The University of Memphis

SOCIAL MEDIA IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

Social Media on Adolescent Identity Development

What is the importance of developing an identity? Your identity is important because it
explains who you are as person and what you see for yourself in the future (Winsor et al, 2015).
Identity is not what you think of yourself looking like but what you define as your own personal
sense of who you are. It is a process that begins from the moment of birth that occurs throughout
the lifespan. To begin obtaining a true identity one must reach a certain time in their life where
they are ready to begin forming their own unique identity. Forming an identity is the central part
of development as an adolescent, (Crocetti et al, 2014) this is part of the life span where the
individual begins to separate from others and gains a sense of who they really are (Winsor et al,
2015). A significant influence when developing an identity is the relationship within social
groups; identity is often created not only by yourself but also in relationship to others (Long &
Chen 2007). However there are other influences that affect the development of an individuals
identity, some of these influences include: society, family, friends, and peers. According to
Long and Chen (2007), adolescents use the internet in search to meet their social and emotional
needs. As adolescents begin to associate themselves into social groups (Winsor et al, 2015), the
thought of imaginary audience becomes increasingly important during this time (Cingel &
Krcma, 2014). The internet is often referred to as a self-motivator because individuals try to
present an image of their ideal self to gain acceptance from others (Long and Chen, 2007). The
purpose of this paper is to examine research studies that demonstrate the important findings of
how internet usage among adolescents impacts their identity development (Long & Chen, 2007).
Identity development generally takes place between the ages of twelve and twenty (Long
& Chen, 2007), when the concept of who am I? becomes a main priority in ones life (Winsor
et al, 2015). Developing an identity is important because it explains everything there is about

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you as an individual. It can be of valuable use to be able to know exactly who you are and how
you can handle different situations throughout your life (Winsor et al, 2015). Long and Chen
(2007) explain that this is an important stage of life that we should be searching for an identity
not essentially trying achieve one. Winsor carefully explains that if an adolescent commits to an
identity that does not necessarily mean that their identity will remain stable (2015). According to
Long and Chen (2007) what one has achieved in childhood and what one will become in the
future is considered to be an optimum achieved identity. Cyr, Berman and Smith (2015) explain
that identity formation can be seen as two processes that involve identity exploration and identity
commitment, (Winsor et al, 2015) uses the terms crisis and commitment when describing this
process. According to Winsor (2015), adolescents experience a crisis when searching for their
own identity that often leads to an experience of commitment when the adolescent finally
commits to their chosen identity. In other words an optimum achieved identity is often developed
when one tries multiple identities then carefully reflects on those experiences before choosing
the best possible identity. According to Long and Chen (2007), the individuals who have
explored all of lifes options and have found the adequate path in life have experienced identity
achievement. In todays age forming an identity may be a difficult task for adolescents. The
growing use of technology has allowed people to interact in multiple ways with one another,
which raises the question of how this technology could influence the development of identity
(Cyr et al, 2015).
At this time the examining of possible effects social media may have on an adolescents
identity development. In one research study Long and Chen (2007), gathered five females and
five males ages ranging from twelve to eighteen years old that actively used the internet, in
search to collect information to explore the study of self identity development among internet
users. This study showed that identity development was effected in use of Chat and IM in three

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ways that included amplified risk taking, improvement of communicating personal viewpoints
and insight towards the future (Long & Chen, 2007). These adolescents often responded to
conflict situations by the use of blocking or warning others, rather than arguing or fighting (Long
and Chen, 2007). According to Cyr, Berman and Smith (2015), communication technology can
either assist or harm an adolescents attempt to form their own identity. In this study the use of
communication through the internet allowed for a positive result because the adolescents used
their creative side towards social media that gave a positive impact on developing an identity.
However there were also negative results within the research study. Many of the adolescents felt
limited in their ability to express their true emotions (Long and Chen, 2014).
As stated social media may have the potential to harm an adolescents identity
development. In other social media settings such as Facebook and Twitter, more research is being
conducted between the use of such networking sites and the experience of the imaginary
audience (Cingel & Krcma, 2014). According to Winsor (2015), the imaginary audience is the
principle that others are constantly thinking or looking at you at all times. When adolescents start
using these social media networks, they begin creating an online self and experiment with the
thought of that self and display it for others to see (Cingel & Krcma, 2014). According to Cyr,
Berman and Smith (2015), there is a connection between the use of social media and a negative
relationship with social anxiety. Since online social networking is commonly used among
developing adolescents the importance of creating ones personal identity and having social
interaction allows ones focus to be consumed in the imaginary audience (Cingel & Krcma,
2014). This causes social anxiety because adolescents are constantly comparing themselves to
others in the social network world (Cingel & Krcma, 2014). This may happen without an
adolescent even being aware of such actions. For instance Cingel and Krcma (2014), state that
users will often insert more content into their social network profile if they feel that their peers

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may have posted something of more importance, in hopes to grasp attention from the social
media world. Adolescents also have the tendency to alter their own personal beliefs to match
that of others in the social media community (Cingel & Krcma, 2014).
In conclusion adolescence is a time when great changes occur this when individuals
begin to develop their own identities. According to Winsor (2015), this is when your identity
clarifies your behavior and reasons for thinking in a certain way. As adolescents have the ease of
using technology, it is important to understand the potential effects it may have on the
development of identity (Cyr et al, 2015). As mentioned earlier the effects of the internet during
the use of Chat and IM research study showed encouraging use of ones imagination. During the
research study of using social media, found that anxiety occurred from wanting to please the
imaginary audience. According to Cingel and Krcma (2014), these results are significant in
stating that users look at individual profiles as a means to set the standards for their own personal
profiles. In the end both of these researches should be understood that social media does have
positive and negative effects on adolescents forming an identity. This may change over time as
more research is conducted on studying all the aspects of social media and the effects it may
have on adolescents identity development.

References
Cingel, D. P., & Krcmar, M. (2014). Understanding the experience of imaginary audience in a
social media environment: Implications for adolescent development. Journal Of Media
Psychology: Theories, Methods, And Applications, 26(4), 155-160. doi:10.1027/18641105/a000124

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Crocetti, E., Erentait, R., & ukauskien, R. (2014). Identity Styles, Positive Youth
Development, and Civic Engagement in Adolescence. Journal Of Youth & Adolescence,
43(11), 1818-1828 11p. doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0100-4
Cyr, B., Berman, S., & Smith, M. (2015). The Role of Communication Technology in Adolescent
Relationships and Identity Development. Child & Youth Care Forum, 44(1), 79-92 14p.
doi:10.1007/s10566-014-9271-0
Long, J., & Chen, G. M. (2007). The impact of internet usage on adolescent self-identity
development. China Media Research, 3(1), 99-109.
Windsor, D. L, Murrell, V. S, & Magun-Jackson, S. (2015). Lifespan development: An
educational psychology perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions