Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

PSYC 325 - FINAL > 8. Social Media and Identity > Flashcards

8. Social Media and Identity Flashcards

1
Q

Why is social media so hard to study

A
  • constantly changing
  • bidirectional
  • Longitudinal studies don’t work well for individual platforms (BeReal might disappear before study is done, etc.)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

how can we improve studying social media?

A

focus on nature of different platforms, and AFFORDANCES

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

AFFORDANCES OF SOCIAL MEDIA ?? what does this mean

A

Affordance = what does it allow you to do / gets you?
- Can be unintended = standing on chair to change a lightbulb

💡 Different platforms have different affordances

A really long table doesn’t offer the same affordance for social connection as would a small round table

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Affordances of Social Media (7)

A
  1. Asynchronicity → engage when it suits you
    - Different from face-to-face or social relationships prior to social media
    - Option to reply to DM vs. when someone calls you on the phone
  2. Identifiability → decide how anonymous
    - May be fully anon or not
    - Different abilities to engage in different sorts of social relationships
  3. Cues Management → can control how you present yourself
    - Craft emotion of text or image when posting
  4. Permanence → information can be stored and found later
    - Can be retrieved easily
  5. Publicness → information can be shared easily with larger groups
    - Can be intentional or unintentional
  6. Availability → easy to locate information and people
    - Previously, meeting someone at summer camp means you will never see them again
  7. Quantifiability → numerical social metrics
    - Liking, commenting, etc.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

in adolescence: two main conflicts are (tasks of adolescence)

A
  1. Identity: secure feeling of who you are
  2. Intimacy: the abilities to form and maintain close relationships with others
    • Friendship formation
    • Quality of existing friendships
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

how are these tasks improved with social media

A

“Traditionally,” adolescents would learn and practice these tasks face-to-face (these are not new tasks!)…
- But recent evidence suggests this is increasingly happening online

Maybe due to affordances of social media?
- Anonymity, asychronicity, etc.
- Make for really good context for identity and intimacy conflicts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

identity definition

A

A sense of who you are, what you will become, and how you fit into the world…

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what happens when your identity is resolved? when it ISNT resolved?

A

Identity stability/cohesion

Identity confusion (This impacts your later life and relationships)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q
  1. components of identity
A
  1. exploration
    - trying out different identities
    Exploration → crucial for healthy identity
  2. commitment
    - committing to identity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Achievement?

A

explored and committed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Foreclosure

A

decided who you are with no exploration (high commitment, low exploration)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Moratorium

A

high exploration but undecided (low commitment)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Diffusion

A

no exploration or commitment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

online contexts that offer the opportunity to construct and display an identity (6)

A
  1. Usernames
    • Can detect gender, sexual identity/interest in sexuality from username
  2. Codes
    • ASL code
    • Reddit groups
  3. Avatars
    • Shaped to parts of identity
  4. Self-descriptions
    • **About me**** section where you, quite literally, write in your identity
  5. Sexuality
  6. Photos/videos
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Online identity experiments

A

tendency to pretend to be someone else when online

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

pros of being Online?

A

Offers the opportunity to explore identity,

Cue management and asynchronicity → choose what and how to present your identity in a way that is different from face-to-face

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Self-Concept Clarity ?

A

Degree to which our beliefs about our identity are clearly defined and stable
“my beliefs about myself often conflict, change frequently, spend a lot of time wondering about what kind of person I really am, etc.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

benefits of clarity (5)

A
  • Well-being
  • Adaptation to stress
  • Better body image
  • Self-esteem

Clarity = good for psychological development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

things that can impact self-concept clarity:

A
  1. ANONYMITY
    - Online identity experiments: pretending to be someone else online
  2. PUBLICNESS
    - Feedback from others, comparisons to others
  3. ## AVAILABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

things that can impact self-concept clarity:

A
  1. ANONYMITY
    - Online identity experiments: pretending to be someone else online
  2. PUBLICNESS
    - Feedback from others, comparisons to others
  3. AVAILABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY
    -Interact with a wider range of individuals
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

gender differences in anonymity?

A
  • Very common → 50% report doing this
  • Similar across gender
    • Girls = older, more beautiful
    • Boys = real life acquaintance
  • More common in early adolescence
21
Q

Fragmentation Hypothesis

A

Experimentation with identity online and exposure to different ideas leads to confusion

22
Q

Unity Hypothesis

A

Different views online may serve as a model and sounding board, can help to corroborate identity

23
Q

how does facebook use affect self-clarity?

A

negative correlation -> Increased Facebook use = less clarity (less stable)

TRUE FOR PASSIVE TASKS ONLY

24
what are passive task
looking at others’ reactions to their posts, just browsing
25
what are active task
sending messages, etc.
26
what happened 3 months later?
Facebook use predicted lower self-concept clarity, but lower self-concept clarity did not predict Facebook use
27
what hypothesis does this support?
Findings align with ******************************fragmentation hypothesis****************************** - Most studies suggest this
28
2 important predictors of self-esteem
1. Feeling control: over our lives, how we display ourselves 2. Receiving approval: feedback from other people (HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THIS)
29
does social media affect self esteem
yes. - Positive relationship between social media use and self-esteem - Increased use = increased self-esteem - MEDIATED BY REACTIONS bad react -> negative self-esteem good react -> positive self-esteem
30
how do individuals with lower self-esteem benefit from social media?
more benefit from social media use (increased self-esteem)
31
Individuals with higher self-esteem instability ???
more benefit from social media use
32
what is narcissism
“a personality trait consisting of elevated self-concept”
33
Grandiose narcissism:
extroverted, callous form - Most familiar - Dominance, attention-seeking (politicians, celebrities, leaders) - Power for status and attention
34
Vulnerable narcissism:
introverted, neurotic form - Quiet, reserved, entitled, easily threatened
35
causes of narcissism ? (4)
1. Genetic component (twin studies) 2. Environment - Parents who put kids on pedestal → grandiose - Parents who are cold and controlling → vulnerable 3. Higher in individualistic cultures (Western) 4. Social media gives opportunity for self-promotion
36
how is narcissism improved
honest self-reflection through psychotherapy, etc.
37
is narcissism increasing in YA ?
ya ... linked to social media mayhaps ?
38
what do the research say?
small and consistent link between social media use and grandiose narcissism - More friends - More frequent status updates - More pictures of self
39
what kind of research do not say dat ?
vulnerable
40
why does this exisst?
3 models..... but they are all correlational btw....
41
1. Self-regulation (self-enhancement) model
- Social media serves as a useful platform for promoting oneself, thus narcissistic individuals are drawn to it - Help regulate and enhance sense of self
42
2. Fit model
- Tend to have emotionally shallow relationship with high-status individuals - Social media is a good fit for this: lots of “friends” online but not very connected, easy to befriend high-status individuals on social media
43
3. trait model
- It’s not narcissism that’s linked to social media, but ******traits****** associated with narcissism - eg: extraversion
44
problem with these models ?
correlational .... Argue narcissism leads to higher social media use, but don’t show that social media can create or reinforce narcissism
45
what is the third biggest task of adolescence?
Along with intimacy and identity → sexual development is 3rd biggest task of adolescence!
46
what are the most common things searched for online
“Sex” and “Sexual Health” = most common thing searched for online
47
WHY Internet/social media may be especially beneficial to LGBTQ+ youth ??
1. Information - When porn and television does not suffice 2. Interaction, social support - Communities online 3. Exploration - Anonymity allows exploration of sexual identity online
48
who is this particularly true for
marginalized and/or underrepresented individuals (LGBTQ+ youth of colour, rural youth, religious youth, etc.)
49
risks ?
Cyber-bullying → LGBTQ+ more likely to be targets
50
what does this cause them to do?
- use social media in a **different** way - Increased identity management → increased amount of online accounts - More likely to control what other people can see

PSYC 325 - FINAL (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions