Running head: SOCIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT FOR GENERATION Z 1

Social Identity Development for Generation Z: How Social Media Affects Students’ Identities

Kimber Butler

Western Carolina University

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Introduction and Defining Terms

The age of a traditional college student coincides with an important period of identity

development, and current college-aged individuals fall into Generation Z, which covers those

born between 1996 and 2010 (Business Insider, 2019). This generation is known for being

‘digital natives,’ a term which describes those who have grown up in the technological era, and

never needed to be introduced to the internet, as it has been a presence throughout their life

(Halton, 2019). Social media, which is “an online service allowing users to construct a public or

private profile to connect and interact with their social connections” (Chugh & Ruhi, 2017, para.

2), exemplifies the types of interpersonal interactions that are common for Generation Z. This

paper examines leading developmental theories, as well as the relationship Generation Z has with

social media, to determine how identity development occurs for this generation.

Theories of Social Identity Development

Social identity is defined as “a person’s sense of who they are based on their group

membership” (McLeod, 2019, para. 1), meaning that development of social identity occurs by

individuals recognizing the role they play within various groups. Because it is based on

individual personalities, identity development looks different for every person. For example,

Arthur Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Identity Development (1969) described vectors that

college students must go through to develop their identity. Students can be at various points for

each vector, such as nearly having one mastered while not showing competence in another.

Another developmental theory from Schlossberg, Waters, and Goodman (1995) focus on the

transitions and events in one’s life that cause development to occur. This is also individually

based, as the extent to which an event effects a student’s development is determined by their

perception of what happened. In order to understand the full effects of how someone establishes
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their identity, it is also important to note the environment they are surrounded by. These systems

represent an overall personal ecosystem, as described in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems

theory (1979) made up of the various facets of one’s life. For college students, the development

they experience is based on how the different ecosystems interact and come together to form an

encompassing environment. 

Social Media Use by Generation Z

The pervasiveness of social media has led to several negative stereotypes regarding

Generation Z and how they interact with the world. This generation is often seen as addicted to

their smartphones and too caught up with what is happening online to care about the ‘real world.’

However, they are “acutely aware of how many adults dismiss their engagement in social media”

(Boyd, 2014, p. 55), and it is how they are engaged that creates disparities between perception

and reality. Social media is the medium through which individuals belonging to Generation Z

engage with the world around them. “Although Gen Z may be glued to their phones - don't take

that as a disregard for the pressing issues facing the world today … this generation is interested

and engaged” (3BL Blogs, 2017, para. 2).

A McKinsey & Company report identified four fundamental Generation Z behaviors:

individual expression, inclusivity, self-centeredness, and analytical and pragmatic decision

making (Vitelar, 2019). These behaviors are particularly reflected on social media websites and

apps, where it has become important for Generation Z “to curate their own online image”

(Gibson, 2019, para. 29) that is then shared with the rest of the world. In these cases, creating an

online image involves cultivating a personal brand that consists of “managing your reputation,

style, look, attitude, and skill set the same way that a marketing team would run the brand for a

bag of Doritos or a bottle of shampoo” (Vitelar, 2019, p. 258). The identities that members of
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Generation Z form are based on an intrapersonal understanding of themselves, which is used to

establish their personal brand. This identity then becomes representative of how they view their

lives, as well as how they present it to others.

Generation Z’s Social Media Trends and Identity Development

Personal branding has been integrated into the lives of Generation Z as a result of the

prevalence of social media and has had a direct effect on identity development for this generation

(Francis & Hoefel, 2018; Gronlund, 2019). For college-aged students to experience growth and

development, they must “learn how to engage in crucial aspects of maturation: self-presentation,

managing social relationships, and developing an understanding of the world around them”

(Boyd, 2014, p. 95). With Generation Z, this maturation process occurs in both the physical and

online spheres, as it is a result of all the experiences a student has regardless of what setting

those take place in. It will lead to the development of skills necessary for them to have an

advanced understanding of their personal identity, and how that interacts with the outside world.

In the outside world also exists groups belonging to different generations, whose experiences

with social development are distinctive from each other, which is especially true with the

increase in technology and internet access for Generation Z. New studies and research relating to

student development must conduct their work with these generational differences in mind to

properly represent the students that are being studied. For example, the vectors of establishing

identity and developing mature interpersonal relationships in Chickering’s theory (1969) may no

longer be effective while ignoring online social identities or relationships that form over the

internet. A new expansion of this theory, as well as other developmental theories, is necessary to

keep up with the characteristics of the current majority generation of college students.
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Just as the topic of social development has changed its scope because of the social

attributes of Generation Z, the overall collegiate ecosystem has also been changed. While a

campus environment still plays an important role in a student’s development, a new ecosystem

has been formed relating to online activity. By monitoring their personal social media usage and

controlling what they are exposed to, Generation Z students have created their own system of

interacting online. This system affects their development in the same way as any other ecosystem

would, as explained by Bronfenbrenner’s theory, showing the online world has become an

important factor to Generation Z’s development.

For a college student, integration with their institution is a crucial piece of their higher

education experience. With the existence of social media, students now have another option for

how they integrate to their campus, specifically through social interactions and forming personal

connections, which also helps them to further develop skills that do not directly coincide with

academic learning. After these skills, such as the ability to maintain relationships and social

independence, are developed, “experimentation of social identity will have been established”

(Woods, Marquita, & Dumas, 2019, p. 2). This means that students with the appropriate skills

can truly begin to explore their identities because they have the tools to do so and are at a high

enough developmental level for this growth to be possible. Another factor for students to fully

develop their identity is the level of comfort they feel in their environment. Without a certain

level of comfort, they may not be ready to open up and explore who they are, meaning

development will not occur (Sanford, 1967). This is where campus integration plays a major

role, and “the greater the student’s level of social integration, the greater is his or her degree of

subsequent commitment to the college or university” (Woods, Marquita, & Dumas, 2019, p. 5).

In this case, engaging in the campus through social media may help students to further develop
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their identity because of their investment in the surrounding environment, both physical and

online.

Conclusions and Further Research

Because students belonging to Generation Z are relatively new to higher education,

further research on their characteristics is necessary to fully understand this group. Once a

baseline understanding of Generation Z as students has been established, that information can go

on to inform more specific topics, such as their development while enrolled in higher education.

Another missing piece of research concerns social media and its connections to Generation Z,

specifically regarding challenging stereotypes and understanding how to use social media as a

tool for co-curricular education. Junco (2014) examined students’ online usage, and stated “what

was missing in this ecosystem were student affairs professionals who understand how student

behaviors on social media are connected to students’ overall developmental paths” (p. 81).

Educating students using tools they interact with on a regular basis should be beneficial in the

learning process, and further information is needed to prove this and to determine the best

practices for doing so.

Being the first generation of digital natives to enter higher education, Generation Z brings

challenges with integrating social media and online usage that did not exist previously (Business

Insider, 2019). Social media is currently serving as a major point for students’ identity

development, as it is the environment they have chosen to exist within (Boyd, 2014; Bright,

2019; Gronlund, 2019). However, education and research have yet to fully catch up with these

developmental shifts. Altering current theories to fit with this generation is a necessity as more

digital natives continue to reach important developmental stages. If this is not done, the theories,
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which make up our understanding of college student development, will become less and less

effective for those currently enrolled as well as future students. Therefore, research into

generational shifts is essential for understanding how Generation Z, as well as those who come

after them, view and interact with their own developmental processes.
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