Exploring Identity: Adolescents Searching for Peer Approval - Essay Sample

Introduction

Adolescence is considered as the identity exploration period; this is where a teenager wants to be seen and liked by many. Teens are influenced easily by their peers, and they are more vulnerable during their adolescence stages. At this point, a teenager highly values peer approval. It is difficult to trust their judgments and get fully satisfied with whatever they choose or do for themselves, for they believe in compliments from their peers (Azmitia, 2002). Adolescents are seen to get influenced by other peers they admire, and whose opinions are considered valid in the current society. It is normality to have people who we look up to, and similarly, teenagers look up to the other peers who reflect their interests (Harter, 2012). They guide them on what to wear and updates on what is trending. The action greatly influences teens, who therefore post to please others. The teens know their audiences and have perceived what will make them happy, what they will like, and whatever will reward negative reactions.

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Teens rely on feedback from peers, who include offline friends, relatives, and classmates or schoolmates (Harter, 2012). Their regular posts are dependent on the peers' validations, which leads to identity development. The focus is shifted to self-presentation, whereby a teen introduces himself to call the followers through creating self-descriptive profiles and even using good-looking pictures for recognitions. It has also been seen that various previous researchers identified teenagers' imaginary audiences (Kroger, 2007). This is whereby during their early teenhood, many experience a feeling of being watched either by peers or others, which makes the teens feel they should present themselves differently at all times.

In this digital influenced era, the adolescents employ context collapse. This involves interactions on the same digital spaces with the people they are well acquainted with, from different contexts. These include offline friends, and strangers met on social media, parents, and classmates. Adolescents interact in different contexts such as home, school, events; therefore, social media offers a platform where one can freely and carefully interact with the different groups (Azmitia, 2002). Generally, adolescents have to ensure appropriate self-presentation that the other peers find attractive, to gain likes and approvals. This makes teens seek peer acceptance and therefore start comparing themselves and raises insecurities. They conform to the group norms to find out whether they are accepted or rejected (Azmitia, 2002).

To enhance online self-presentation, needed for perceived proper introductions, adolescents make a lot of effort. For instance, teens seek their friend's help and advice on how to present themselves to be liked. Sometimes they ask for their friend's opinions before posting pictures or anything else interesting, since they value their peers' approval than any other alternative. Some go to an extent to which they like and comment on their peers' posts to gain more friends, which seems to be an attention-seeking means at some point. The age differences also greatly influence online self-presentation creation (Harter, 2012). The preteens focus on their profiles, for they have to look likable and attractive to gain popularity, middle teens are interested in the friendships achieved and the number of likes for each post, while older teens interact differently and can easily understand the actions done regularly (Harter, 2012).

The research mainly focuses on the behaviors of adolescents on Facebook and Instagram and their online self-presentation. The main goal of this study is to expand the already existing studies of online self-presentation. Facebook and Instagram are among the most used interactions sites by the teenagers, which have restrictive norms that guide the users (Harter, 2012). The research also examines the norms adolescents have and the kind of efforts they make to achieve positive online self-presentations. This study, therefore, involved focus groups; these are conducted to ensure a better understanding of the self-presentation context.

The various hypotheses of this study include examining the age differences of adolescents. Online self-presentation is differently perceived by the various categories of teenhood. The first hypothesis to be tested is the teens' Facebook and Instagram social networks. It will not only be based on an individual but will also involve an adolescent's close friends and offline peers (Azmitia, 2002). The second one is where teens present themselves favorably on Facebook and Instagram, and all the efforts to be done to achieve good online self-presentation, which is based on peer approvals.

Methodology

The study first involved participants, who were found to be of different nationalities, but all Americans by birth (Asian American and Hispanic American), who were from 21 schools in Southern California. There were 27 females and 24 males, totaling to 51, whereas ten focus groups were conducted each with 3-8 teens (Brown et al., 1986). Some of these participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. At the same time, those who were known to the researchers were requested to invite their friends, who were offered raffles for iPod, gift certificates and movie tickets.

Design

The participants were further assigned to focus groups based on proximity, grade levels, and gender, as the discussions took place at familiarized locations like coffee shops. The grades were 7and8, 9and 10, 11and 12, while some groups included males, females, or mixed -gender. These focus groups had to be organized and placed in this manner to ensure the comfortability of the participants (Kroger, 2007). For instance, a group consisting of the same gender can comfortably discuss relationship topics and their emotions.

Measures

The main measure taken in this study is the background survey, which is mainly performed by adolescents and all the feedback from the peers used for revision. It closely informs on the spaces provided for additional comments by the participants.

Procedure

The materials used for this study, as well as the procedures, were approved, and the participants offered pseudonyms. This would help protect their identities and also avoid inconveniences with their friends, who, also, are not assigned to the same groups (Kroger, 2007). The discussions took about one hour and were led by the researchers. Nine of these focus groups were led by the graduate researcher, who attended all the discussions. In contrast, the other group's leader was an undergraduate researcher who attended only two of the focus group discussions. (Brown et al., 1986). The participants' opinions and views were audio-recorded and transcribed to maintain its originality.

Data Analysis

The study applied an iterative process in which all the data was coded inductively and deductively to ensure its authenticity, while the main unit of analysis was the conversational turn. The norms provided by the participants for Facebook and Instagram were organized into themes, whereby those that seemed alike were grouped.

Results and Discussion

The results proved to accomplish the hypotheses, where adolescents are seen to use Facebook and Instagram networks to socialize and interact with most of their offline friends. They have the opportunity to achieve more followers and likes by being active and engaging in various activities in these particular sites. Facebook and Instagram also offer a platform to make new friends and contact new acquaintances (Azmitia, 2002). The other one is the norms for favorable self-presentation on Facebook and Instagram, where they have to appear attractive, interesting, and likable. To be interesting, adolescents should be about positive posts, events, and achievements, those that excite not only their close friends but their acquaintances too (Brown et al., 1986). Similarly, to appear likable, one should be liked. This is seen through the likes and comments, which should be genuinely earned.

Adolescents can also appear attractive by taking time on their posts, using filters, and trying angles to get good pictures, which is common to girls. The efforts teens go through for good self-presentation creation include enlisting the help of friends to acquire likes and later on monitoring and maximizing those likes (Brinthaupt & Lipka, 2012). Most of the teenagers claim that posting is a list of work, going to a photo library, picking the best, selecting filters, and asking for approvals before posting. Some teens create separate accounts on Facebook and Instagram to get more feedback and audiences of their different content.

Generally, for favorable online self-presentation on Facebook and Instagram, adolescents prefer peer validations and feedback. (Kroger, 2007). It has been proven that girls are mostly influenced by the pressure than the boys, since they focus on likes and comments, compare themselves with their peers. Boys usually post pictures without caring for the filters and angles, and the comments (Brinthaupt & Lipka, 2012). Girls are eager for popularity in social media and consider popularity as being attractive and having nice, classy clothes. Age differences are also norms for Facebook and Instagram use, while adolescents also have high expectations of loyalty, trust, and commitment. Expecting to receive the same energy they give, like follow for following, likes for likes and regularly commenting on peer posts to attract their attention in return (Kroger, 2007).

Limitations, Implications, and Future Directions

Participants were allowed to participate in some focus groups as their friends. This limits some of them, denying an opportunity to freely contribute due to the fear of conflicting those they know (Brinthaupt & Lipka, 2012). The action occurs when whatever they say is negatively perceived by their peers. The discussions were also semi-structured, and not all the practices were asked to the focus groups, hence a lack of satisfactory results. Culture and ethnicities are some of the greatest influencers on the patterns of behavior on social media. Adolescents act differently according to their cultural beliefs and ways, which can either be positively or negatively affecting the relationships with their peers (Kroger, 2007).

Adolescents are, therefore, using Facebook and Instagram to improve their social networks and connections. They are not aimlessly using these sites; after all, parents and teachers are verily advised to support teens' social media use to minimize or avoid risky sharing practices (Kroger, 2007). Future researchers are therefore obliged to consider the relationships between self-orientations, risky sharing on social media, and multiple site use.

Conclusion

Adolescents have the highest rate of the population using the internet, Facebook, and Instagram in particular. There are several sites where they make friends, connect with their offline friends, and even get coupled (dating apps) through Facebook and Instagram are the most popular sites visited. Teens influence each other in these sites and also support one another on different levels and contexts. (Azmitia, 2002). The peers whose opinions are valued at these sites majorly influence these adolescents; they follow them for updates and just to know whatever they are doing and how they do it. The study has aided in making conclusions about online self-presentation, the efforts teens take to gain favorable identities in these sites. It also shows how females are more involved and influenced as compared to the male, girls post selfies frequently and classy pictures, acquiring approvals and...