Wangqvist & Frisen 2016

Introduction

  • Study Focus: Examining online contexts and their role in adolescents' identity development.

  • Key Points:

    • Online contexts provide unique opportunities for identity explorations, self-presentations, and social interactions.

    • There exists a gap between research focusing on identity expressions and developmental identity research that often overlooks online contexts.

Understanding Identity Development

  • Definition of Identity: Subjective experience of self, providing a sense of coherence across varying roles.

  • Developmental Processes:

    • Involves integration of identity elements through experiences such as exploration and commitment.

    • Autobiographical reasoning and interaction with social contexts influence identity development.

Review of Literature on Identity Online

  • Current State of Research:

    • Previous studies predominantly focus on identity expressions rather than development.

    • The paper aims to bridge the gap by reviewing literature from a developmental perspective.

Research Methodology

  • Article Search Strategy:

    • Database used: PsycINFO.

    • Keywords: identity, online, internet, social media, social networking sites.

    • Criteria for inclusion: relevance to adolescence and identity issues.

Findings Categorized by Themes

1. Opportunities for Identity Explorations

  • Online environments offer less geographical and temporal constraints, fostering identity experimentation.

  • Key Insights:

    • Ethnic minority youth and those identifying as sexual minorities often find more freedom in expressing their identities online (Hillier & Harrison, 2007).

    • Integration of online identity explorations with offline contexts can enhance well-being (Crowson & Goulding, 2013).

2. Means for Self-Presentations

  • Online anonymity affects how individuals present themselves.

  • Characteristics:

    • Non-physical appearances allow for unique self-presentations; simultaneously, visibility leads to cautiousness about online disclosures.

    • The fragmentation hypothesis suggests potential identity diffusion due to multiple self-presentations, while the unity hypothesis posits a strengthening of identity coherence through conscious self-presentation choices.

3. Requisites for Social Interactions

  • Online spaces serve as autonomous areas for adolescents to explore identities away from adult supervision.

  • Insights on Group Identifications:

    • Stronger in-group experiences may occur online compared to offline contexts (Schmalz et al., 2015).

    • Online identity narratives are co-constructed with input from others, highlighting the interconnected nature of identity in social contexts.

Discussion and Implications

  • Research Limitations Identified:

    • Much of the existing literature has focused narrowly on identity expressions. Future research should consider the integration of both online and offline identities for a fuller understanding.

  • Recommendations for Future Research:

    1. Focus on how online and offline identities integrate and influence overall identity coherence.

    2. Examine identity development processes across different contexts and developmental stages.

    3. Investigate the diversity of online contexts and their varied meanings for different individuals.

Conclusions

  • Online contexts serve as vital platforms for identity exploration, self-presentation, and social interaction among adolescents.

  • Future research using a developmental framework can enhance the understanding of these dynamics, emphasizing the importance of addressing online contexts in studies of adolescent identity.