Social Media Self-Presentation and Identity Development with Mindfulness as A Moderator: A Study Among Young Adults

Abstract

Social Media is harboring the attention of young adults these days as a way of presenting themselves and creating an identity. Social media Self-presentation talks about how people portray themselves on social networking sites in accordance to the current trends, which impacts their view about themselves, as researched by many. Hence, this study aims to assess the relationship between social media self-presentation and identity development with a moderating role of mindfulness. Method Sample: 110 young adults aged between 18-23years were selected randomly from nursing colleges, residing in north India. Tools: Socio-demographic datasheet, Cognitive, and Affective Mindfulness Scale – revised (CAMS-R), Erikson Psychosocial stage inventory (EPSI), and Social media self-presentation Scale. Procedure: The tools were converted into Google Forms and sent through WhatsApp, email, etc. Result: The result was analysed using descriptive statistics and regression. All the variables (Social media self-presentation, identity clarity, self-esteem, and mindfulness) had a significant positive correlation with each other. The results of the moderation analysis indicate that mindfulness plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between social media self-presentation and both self-esteem and identity clarity. This study has the potential to make a valuable contribution to future research on social media self-presentation.