Introduction
Modern trends in social development are characterized by the massive spread of new consumer habits in the use of information resources and the transformation of communicative interaction practices. Under these conditions, social networks have become the dominant platform for building and maintaining social relationships. Now, one can quickly share their news with friends, and it is distributed at lightning speed. The growing popularity of social networks and the emergence of an increasing number of them cannot fail to note their important role in a teenager’s life.
Social Media as a Tool for Identity and Self-Expression
Nowadays, more and more people of different ages communicate on social networks. Their popularity is due to the fact that everyone can afford anonymity, for example, not to introduce themselves or become a fictional character to create an illusion. In the electronic network, one can express one’s point of view, find like-minded people, communicate on any topic, and share experiences.
Thus, communication via the Internet allows one to become what one would like to be, increase one’s significance and self-esteem, or make up for the lack of friends and chat. Popular social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and others allow users to create an ideal image of themselves. Researchers are confident that young people seek to change their lives and personalities so that they approach or fully correspond to the artificially created image (Arora et al., 2019). Posting on social media is a way of self-discovery when a person presents a picture of how they want to be seen by the world or how they want to perceive themselves (Arora et al., 2019). Thus, using social networks helps one understand oneself and what a person wants to strive for, directly impacting personality formation.
Mental Health and the Psychological Risks of Online Engagement
However, social networks have not only a positive impact on teenagers. Social media anxiety ranges between nervousness and depression (Alonzo et al., 2021). Most of the time, young people use the Internet to express feelings such as suffering and, in particular, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Social media is a significant cause of stress and anxiety, which can manifest itself in two ways: constant attention to new alerts and social media posts. It causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol (Malaeb et al., 2020).
The second relates to constantly trying to achieve an unattainable improvement goal through social media, causing stress. Scientists note neuroticism as the main personality trait, which is characterized by frequent sadness or emotional instability (Malaeb et al., 2020). This type of anxiety is associated with an attempt to focus on perfection constantly.
The socialization of the personality, especially of a teenager, is a traditional topic of study for representatives of many social sciences and the humanities. Sociologists usually pay attention to the individual in socialization, emphasizing that social networks allow one to reproduce entire social systems (Nugmanovna, 2022). This allows one to be in social relationships and experience a sense of involvement in the social environment.
Adolescents’ use of social media can create a sense of connection through online games, intertwining with friends’ daily lives, receiving support from them, and reducing feelings of loneliness. As a result, an increase in well-being. For example, the number of online friends on the social network Facebook reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, drug overdose, and suicide (Arora et al., 2019). Thus, one should refrain from unambiguous conclusions and conduct additional, detailed, and focused studies on the impact of digitalization on the well-being of children and adolescents.
With most teens accessing social media websites and apps more than once a day, the Internet has the potential to expand social connections and nurture creativity. In some cases, using fake data about oneself, such communication allows one to experiment with one’s status and roles and/or join reference groups. The latter is especially characteristic of adolescents with low self-assessment of their status in the classroom (Pop et al., 2022). At the same time, being only an information environment, the Internet, in general, and social networks are not immune to abuse and deviations: online aggression, virtual bullying, trolling, and more (Pop et al., 2022). Therefore, the relationship between activity in social networks and the success of the socialization of young people remains largely uncertain.
Opportunities and Challenges in Socialization
At the same time, there is an opinion that working out fundamental social interaction skills in the Internet environment is impossible. Although the teenager is in a public environment, active skills are not used. Moreover, it is possible to “turn off” the interlocutor, preventing a person from developing conflict management skills and generally interacting with others, especially if their opinions differ. Socialization problems do not disappear; in addition to being ignored by the individual, they can also develop (Boer et al., 2021). As a result, there is a possibility of developing a sociophobic personality, which is extremely difficult to adapt to real life.
On the other hand, social networks give a person unlimited opportunities for self-development, which is stimulated by comprehensive support. In general, on the Internet, one can find many educational videos, participate in social activities, and develop support and feedback mechanisms. The media that emerges as a result of communication allows people to respond promptly to a particular request.
Today, it is important to note that there is a qualitatively new format for conducting elections, as one of the electronic voting methods (Penney, 2019). With this, using the network, one can preview the participant’s rating, which is the conduct of part or all of the voting in elections and referendums (Penney, 2019). That is, social networks are a way to highlight leaders or develop leadership qualities.
Conclusion
Modern youth respond most flexibly to the processes of widespread virtualization, readily accepting and adapting to the rules of the digital society. Young Internet users easily form a personal image on the pages of social networks and create a social effect by obtaining approval of their actions, thoughts, and self-presentation in the virtual community. In general, greater psychological well-being and life satisfaction are associated with fewer online risk factors, both social and emotional.
That, on the one hand, may indicate that the absence of risk leads to greater psychological well-being; on the other hand, adolescents who are satisfied with their lives do not seek risk-based interactions on social networks. Social networks and the Internet, in general, are the reasons for developing new branches of psychology. On the other hand, the study of the role of social networks in the life of a modern person also opens up new opportunities for conducting a psychological analysis of personality formation. Although new problems are emerging, the number of opportunities to study them is also increasing.
References
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