Female youth and social media: How do I see my self through social media?

Abstract

This paper examines the self-perceived media literacy of female University students in Greece. While previous research has recognized the multiple effects of social media on young people, little attention has been given to how young people themselves perceive the impact of social media on the creation of their identity. Utilizing a structured online questionnaire in a sample of 581 University students, discourse analysis of their answers on two open ended questions provides evidence for the way they evaluate their self-perception through the use of social media. It also reveals levels of student’s (social) media literacy. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the effects of social media on young people and its collective dynamics in constructing female identity.