Social Medi The Development Of Identity

The development of the human body and mind is a complex, long process. Children go through multiple stages, according to Erik Erikson, that shape the way that they will develop into mature adults. Identity is a major aspect of development that is constantly changing and evolving over time. From childhood, where you identify closely with your parents, to adulthood, where you become more independent, identity is impacted by many different factors. In today’s society, social media is one major factor that has a significant impact on the development of identities. Throughout the first six weeks of class, we have learned about identity and how it forms throughout life based on biological, psychological, and social aspects. Every day after class, …show more content…
Social media was originally created to be a place where people can talk and express themselves freely, but I never would have imagined that people would become as consumed as they have. Peggy provides an example of when she was lying on a blanket in her front yard with her daughter, and instead of enjoying the present moment, all she could think about was that it was the perfect time to tweet. This example shows how users become so consumed with networking that they seldom enjoy the time that they have to spend with others. I, too, am guilty of this on multiple occasions. I find myself on my phone all the time when I am with family, instead of enjoying the time I have with them. Overall, I feel that Peggy Orenstein summed the concept up greatly as she states, “The user originally shapes social media, but as time passes media begins to shape the …show more content…
On one hand, social media is great because it provides a way for people that live far away from each other to connect. On the other hand, it takes away from face-to-face interaction. In my personal life, I had a very bad experience with social media. Throughout high school, I was bullied very badly not only in school, but over the internet as well. This was a very negative experience and caused me to spiral into a deep depression. School was no longer a safe environment for me, and because of the internet, I could not escape this. Eventually, I deleted all of my social media to escape this terrible situation and got through it with the help of my family. Years later, I finally built up the confidence and strength to reactivate my accounts to make new connections in my life as a college student. Through this experience, I look as social media and the internet in a very different way than most people; I do not let my social media define me, I define it. I have grown into someone that I am very proud to be and although I have experienced some rough times in my life, I would not be the person that I am today without the positive and negative influences of social