Impact of Social Media on Personality Development
The aim of the study is to examine the impact of social media on personality development of adolescents and to identify social media factors that influence personality development. A qualitative approach has been adopted in order fully explore the subject matter without any constraints. Data was collected using only peer reviewed Journal Articles and articles from book sections. The grounded theory method was used to reach the conclusion. The findings show that use of social media is extreme in adolescents as they use not only for socializing, but also for communication, entertainment, and all the other activities. The four main social media factors that influence personality development include (i) Culture of Popularity, (ii) Unreal Standards of Appearance, (iii) Approval Seeking Behavior, and (iv) Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety. The research has two main limitations. The first limitation is that the study does not make use of primary data in forms of interviews or observation but it was made sure that only primary sources are used. Secondly, the use of qualitative approach which increases researcher bias. The findings of this study can be used to minimize the negative effects of social media on the personality development of adolescents through educational and intervention plans. The findings show that social media has an adverse effect on the personality development of adolescents. The study specifically identifies the four personality factors that are altered by the excessive use of social media. These findings can be used to develop interventions to minimize this negative impact on adolescents.