The Impact of Social Media on Identity and Mental Health among Generation Z Students: A systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

There is a plethora of Social Media platforms that Generation Z enjoys and are associated with both positive and negative identity formation and mental health outcomes. Generation Z is a group of youths born between 1997 and 2012, and from an early age, are well-versed with social media. Social media offers a global audience where youths can present themselves and it has also been associated with mental health challenges.  Thus, an individual’s real-life identity may be influenced by the digital persona crafted online.  Many studies have focused on identity and mental health as separate topics, but studies show they can influence each other. The objective of this systematic review is to examine the relationship between social media use, identity formation and mental health outcomes among Generation Z students. This paper is a systematic review of literature that uses 27 papers that focus on generation Z mental and identity issues. The team used the PRISMA model to identify papers and   refine the final sample of papers   for synthesis.  The papers were identified from various databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, Emerald Insight, AJOL (African Journals Online), Research Gate, Sage, Oxford Academic, Annual Reviews, De Gruyter Brill, Springer and Wiley Themes were extracted. Inclusion criteria focused on peer-reviewed studies published in English that examined social media use in relation to identity formation and/or mental health among Generation Z or closely related youth populations.  Results show that those studies conceptualize mediated identity differently   such as fragmented self, algorithmized self and distorted self. The visual profiles uploaded were edited constantly and some even had digital masks. The identity online differed from that offline, showing identity was fluid and negotiated. On the other hand, these youths used these identities to communicate in the digital space. They sought validation through likes, comments and shares, which created self-identity crises that further affected their mental health. The use of social media was associated with positive and negative impacts on mental health. Positive effects may lead to increased connection and self-esteem, while negative effects lead to increased isolation, sadness, stress and pressure, among other factors. Generation Z youths experience higher level of mental health issues as they face pressure trying to   negotiate their identity on the social media platforms, making this relationship between identity and mental health paramount. The findings highlight the interconnected nature of digital identity construction and mental health outcomes among Generation Z.   For those dealing with youth counselling, they should   design program that address issues of identity and mental health together as they influence each other.  There is need for more theorizing on how the affordances of platforms like Tiktok influence identity and not what a person actually chooses to be.  More research should explore the issue of isolation, which some studies show social media increase isolation and others reduce isolation leading to conflicting evidence. This review contributes to existing literature by synthesizing evidence that position’s identity formation and mental health as mutually reinforcing processes within social media environments.