Who Are We?: Identity in a Social Media Age
Social media have become a normative part of culture, with both positive and negative implications. More recently, studies demonstrate that social media may contribute to mental health issues. This essay seeks to understand this phenomenon through the lens of self-objectification and self-comparison...
Authors: | ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Institute for Interdisciplinary Research
2021
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In: |
Journal of interdisciplinary studies
Year: 2021, Volume: 33, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 105-122 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Social media
/ Mental health
/ Social comparison
/ Social identity
/ Biblical theology
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IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CH Christianity and Society ZB Sociology ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies |
Further subjects: | B
Friendship
B Social media B Biblical Theology B Mental Health B Culture |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | Social media have become a normative part of culture, with both positive and negative implications. More recently, studies demonstrate that social media may contribute to mental health issues. This essay seeks to understand this phenomenon through the lens of self-objectification and self-comparison theories concerning why some who use social media to gain the approval of others as the foundation for their identity still end up unhappy after receiving such approval. The essay proposes that people who engage in this behavior remain unhappy because they do not understand their status as an imagebearer of God, and how images are to function in society. A sound understanding of images is essential. The essay engages Biblical theology as a helpful guide to demonstrate that social identities are to be cultivated and formed through friendship. Friendships help shape who we are as human beings and build a sense of belonging through the organic formation of a community. |
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ISSN: | 2766-0508 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of interdisciplinary studies
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5840/jis2021331/26 |