Identity Formation
Identity Formation through Social Communication Technologies
New technologies are omnipresent. They accompany us on the train, in the waiting room, sometimes even at the dinner table. In addition, technologies such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube have a social function: they connect us with many other people, give us insights into their lives and allow us to exchange information with them about current events. We also lead a "social life" via new communication technologies. Accordingly, it is reasonable to assume that these social technologies and the interactions within them shape us beyond adolescence in our self-perception, moral values, worldview, or sense of group membership. From a psychological perspective, these potential socialization and learning processes are highly exciting and can be addressed by asking different questions:
- Under what circumstances do interactions via social media shape our self-concept (e.g., as a politically engaged person)?
- When can social technologies shape, reinforce, or weaken the moral values of their users?
- To what extent do social media contribute to the reinforcement and spread of tendencies such as "cancel culture" in our society?
- When can central actors in social media (e.g., influencers, food bloggers, mom/dad bloggers) teach us worldviews, concepts of nutrition and parenting, and sustainably shape our actions in everyday life?
- How can new technologies activate new group identities or make existing ones more salient?
Selected publications:
Neubaum, G., & Lane, D. S. (accepted in principle). Nevertheless, it persists: Political self-effects in the context of persistent social media [Registered Report]. Journal of Media Psychology.
Krämer, N. C., Eimler, S. C., Neubaum, G., Winter, S., Rösner, L., & Oliver, M. B. (2017). Broadcasting one world – How watching elevating online videos can trigger a sense of universal orientation and a reduction of social stereotypes. New Media & Society, 19, 1349–1368. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816639963