Social Networking and Identity Formation

After reading “Evaluating the Social and Cultural Implications of the Internet” by Philip Brey, I found the lists of both perceived benefits and harms of the internet open more room for discussion and questioning; specifically, on individuals’ identity formation. Dr. Rosen did a research on the topic of social networking (MySpace) and identity formation and the finding and implications are quite fascinating. Here are some of the highlights:

“More time spent on MySpace is related to slightly more depression, more Internet addiction, less family support, slightly lower self-esteem and more online friends.

Teens are spending large amounts of time communicating on MySpace with school friends and many people they have never met in person..

There are many positive ramifications from time spent on MySpace including more support from friends, more honest communication and less shyness both on and off MySpace.

Most parents believe that there are many sexual predators on MySpace and that the media portrayal is accurate. Strikingly, most parents have never seen their teenager’s MySpace page or their photos and do not know how much time their teen is spending on MySpace Many parents are not aware of what information their teens are giving out to other MySpacers and those who think they know; underestimate the information offered by their teenager on MySpace. Parents allow their teens to have a computer with Internet access in their bedrooms and few set limits on computer or MySpace use. Even those who do set limits fail to follow through much of the time.”

The negative effects mentioned in Brey’s article are the relative anonymity which allows actions that can lead to antisocial behavior and ultimately lead to harming of psychological development and internet addiction in general. But as Dr.Rosen’ research illustrates, on the social networking sites, teens are spending most of the time communicating with real life friends and with their real names, pictures, and information on the websites, the relative anonymity is not easy to acquire, and the addiction of the internet, is the cause of the addiction mainly because of the attractiveness of the internet, which in social networking is the sense of community and connectedness, or the addiction merely a symptom of a larger issue?
One of the noticeable findings of the research is that while the parents believe that their children may well encounter harmful information or people online, they do not know anything about their children’s online activities and do not even set a time limit for their computer use. This reflects the amount of caring and attention that is giving from the parents; then is the internet a way for teens or individuals to look for the attention and stimulation that is missing in their lives? The positive effects of the internet stated by Brey, which are encouraging the experimentation of alternative identities and the exposure of different beliefs and perspectives without encounter some obstacles in real life. Those positive effects are mirrored in the search findings, such as promoting of honest communication, overcoming shyness, and the chance to meet new people online, which can leads to improving social skill. Overall, the social networking is a good tool that could greatly increasing individuals’ social life, well-being, another source of emotional connectedness, and a path of many to self-discovery, but it is should be an addition to a solid life.