Digital Identities: Social Media, Youth and Sense of Belonging

Περίληψη

The impact of social media on the formation
of contemporary identities is emerging as a
key issue in social sciences. Young people’s
self-presentation practices and selfie pictures
are approached as a means of navigating their
everyday lives. Utilising qualitative data collected
both in Greater Athens, Greece and
North West of England, UK, this study examines
the role of digital media in an attempt to
understand how young people negotiate their
identities in an increasingly complex and uncertain
world. The data were produced during
focus group discussion and photo-elicitation
interviews as part of a triangulated research
project that tried to shed light on the construction
of young people’s identities. Based
on the findings, it is suggested that social
media provide a space in which young people
try to find some sense of belonging, however,
it can be argued that this process ties young
people to the very logic of individualism and
market-based competition.