Cultural Mediation of the Identity of the Digital Generation: Perspectives on the Analysis of Internet Activity and Social Media

Background. The Internet and social media play an important role in the mental and personal development of children and youth. Recent studies have shown that the daily Internet activity of the digital generation (creating a profile, chatting with friends, comments and likes, etc.) is associated with the establishment of personal identity, relationship with peers, social involvement, as well as self-expression. Thus, the analysis of social media becomes an important issue in the study of socialization and personality identity.

Objective. The relevance of a theoretical review in this area is due to the need to structure existing ideas on the role of culture in the development of identity in a digital society. One of the important tasks is to systematize the empirical data accumulated in different ethno-cultural contexts through traditional and innovative methods of research. Current research focuses on the impact of Internet activity in social media on the identity development in a member of the "digital society".

Results. Contemporary science around the globe has accumulated data on the cultural mediation of identity. The results of studies obtained in different sociocultural contexts indicate that the use of social networks by the younger generation, their behavior on the Internet, the influence of the Internet and social media on identity largely depend on the cultural characteristics of a particular society.

Numerous though often contradictory results require systematization and generalization, analysis of the possibilities and limitations of the methods used to study online identity. In particular, the methods of big data analysis, which are gaining popularity, are widely praised for the possibilities they can provide. However, the application of these methods in social and psychological research remains ambiguous, which becomes topical in connection with ethical issues, such as invasion of privacy through the collection of personal data of users (especially when children and adolescents are involved). Moreover, it seems hard to neglect doubts about objectivity and accuracy of these methods.

Conclusion. The article considers modern ideas on the identity development of the younger generation in its connection with Internet activity and the use of social media. The results of studies that confirm the cultural mediation of online identity are analyzed. Possibilities and limitations of the analysis of Internet activity and social media in the study of identity are demonstrated. Recommendations on the effective and ethical application of such analysis as well as on the combination of big data analysis with traditional socio-psychological research methods are summarized.

The review will contribute to an in-depth study of global and culturally determined trends in the identity development of the digital generation at the present stage of cultural and historical evolution of society. It will also outline the prospects for analyzing Internet activity and social media while studying these trends.

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