INTERNET USE & PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING

CREATING IDENTITY THROUGH INSTAGRAMIdentity, psychosocial development and celebrificationPia, Mona & Aske

CONTENT

¢Case presentation • �The story of Daniel Lassen• �Instagram as a social network• �Research questions

¢Theoretical perspectives • �Identity theory and �Erikson• Celebrity theory

¢Main topics of discussion • �Self-presentation• �Online personal branding• Celebrification and potential risks

¢Present conclusions

CASE PRESENTATION

INSTAGRAM

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Which specific stages of development characterize this particular age group?

• What are the relation between online and offline identity – and which potential risks are connected to personal online branding?

• How does the massive personal exposure affect the development of identity?

• How Instagram and it’s comments can affect to Daniel’s identity development?

• What are the possibilities and risks of all this?

• What do we think as a media educators of all this?

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVESObviously there are several ways of exploring this phenomenon and lots of perspectives, which can provide different answers; however, we have decided to review it from these chosen theoretical perspectives:

• �Identity theory and �Erikson• �Celebrity theory

IDENTITY & ERIKSON

• Why identity?

• Identity development: Important task in adolescent life - coherent identity or identity confusion

• Process: Values, principles and roles an individual has adopted as his or her own

• Early adolescence - >

• Interpersonal relationship and social context play significant role in identity development (Family, friends, media, Internet & social media -> Instagram…)

• Instagram as one of the social contexts

• How comments in Instagram influence identity development?

CELEBRITY

Really, celebrity? • Media research has already stressed the change of media arenas and accessibility to

massive exposure for the individual. • The demotic turn - as a result of the emergence of internet and user generated content

(web 2.0). • Usher, Tony Hawk, Pharrell, Kaka, Jamie Oliver, Ellie Goulding & Daniel Lassen!Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Culture:

• A basic function of capitalism is our ability to desire. • Desire has to be mobilized, especially in puberty. • Lack of redemption for desire (abstract desire), CAN lead to obsession and

imagined relationships with various objects. • Celebrities are a important factor in this mechanism as they become the

humanization of desire. • This is what the media industry exploits in order to sell products and why

celebrities are more than an accessory of culture.

CELEBRITY

Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Individual:

• Celebrification: refers to the change in which the individual becomes an object of desire, instead of a desiring subject.

• May come across as quite a trivial conclusion, however this has a big impact on the individual, causing: • Person → personality• Taste → style• Presence → posing• Intimacy → self-promoting

• Your identity is created as a reflection of public opinion and is impossible to change without the endorsement of your followers.

• Vertical self >< Favored self-image. • Media will do anything to sell and maintain certains understandings of the individual.

However, this is not a problem for Daniel, as he is (still) in charge of the content posted on the web.

CELEBRITY

Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Consuming:

• Desire engages in two different ways • the aesthetic embodiment • emotional, sexual, intellectual or spiritual identification.

• Leaving Daniel with certain expectations• Different ways of categorizing the awareness of the consumers:

• Traditional, 2nd order traditional, post modern, game player/detective. • Very few of Benjamin followers seem to question the reality of the content - might have

to do with the platform on which they are mediated. • Many seek a consummation of the imaginary relationship. Urge to be seen by celeb,

which can cause in aggressive behavior. • Daniel must be able to meet the expectation of his followers, while keeping a coherent

link between his favored self-image and his vertical self. In puberty this seems like an impossible task.

DISCUSSIONSelf-presentation online- Positive self-presentation in human relationships: perceptions of other

people- Daniel’s self-presentation is acquisitive: seeking for approval- OPI reduces page owner’s control over their image control (hate

messages)

Online personal branding- Social media has made online personal marketing important to average

people- Daniel’s online branding has made a success: over a million followers,

own brand in clothes, a record contract..

CONCLUSIONS AND SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDIA EDUCATORSSummary- In identity construction process adolescent is trying to answer the

question: “Who am I?”- Social media (Instagram) as a useful tool for identity forming process:

testing different kinds of roles, values, opinion contrast..- Good relationships with family and friends in offline world -> preventing

harmful effects caused by online risks, such as cyberhateImplications- Better media literacy for adolescents- Support and presence of the parents

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