The role of social media in reshaping social identity and cultural values among university youth in light of technological openness

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the role of social media networks in reshaping the social identity and cultural values of university youth in light of technological openness, and the factors that may contribute to shaping their identity. This was achieved through the use of the survey method to describe and analyze previous studies in this field, and to draw generalizable conclusions and results. By employing both analytical and qualitative aspects in content analysis, and providing an interpretative framework for the significance of the analytical results extracted from approximately (11) previous Arab and foreign studiesƆBased on social theory, the study reached the following conclusions: There is a scarcity of studies that directly and comprehensively address the impact of social media on the social identity and cultural values of university youth within a comprehensive study. Most previous studies have focused on one dimension and have not included the other dimension or dealt with it partially. Previous studies have shown that the technological openness that occurs with the use of social media has contributed to fundamental changes in patterns of belonging, self-image, and methods of social expression among university youth, which has been reflected in the reshaping of their social identities. These studies revealed that the cultural values associated with university youth have been significantly affected by multicultural digital content. Many studies have focused on the psychological, behavioral, and informational aspects of social media use, while the value and identity dimensions have not received sufficient attention, despite their importance in understanding the profound social transformations that university youth are undergoing.